Chance Encounters
by KurobaraMichaelis
Summary: Ib's 17, her life at the mercy of her parents and their dreams of her taking on the family business. Garry's a boy who's been living in his father's shadow all his life, his gentler side hidden, until he met Ib. He doesn't understand why at first, and develops an interest in the girl But will an obsessive and greedy Mary get in the way? A few OC's. May change rating.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! Kurobara here! This is the first time I've published a fanfic (i've written then before), so still kinda new to this...but I'll find my way. I wanted Ib as my first story since I love it so much. I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's (i'll explain who they are at the end of the chapters). **

**Well, enjoy!**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter One

Eve looked out the window watching the light rain that hit the window, her mind in a blur. "Eve!" a voice came, high and annoyed, breaking her from her thoughts. Eve blinked.

"Coming Ms. Iris!" she quickly grabbed her purse, and ran to the mirror to look at her reflection. She was almost the splitting image of her mother, with her dark crimson eyes and long brown hair that went past her shoulders with a neatly cut bang that reached her eyes. She smoothed out the simple red strapless dress and left the room.

She raced down the halls and the stairs until reaching her Nanny's side before she called her name again. The young 21 year old narrowed her hazel eyes, and quickly motioned towards the door.

"Honestly Eve, you're already 17, but it seems like you're still a child."

The teen flinched; she hated being called a child, it always brought a strange feeling of helplessness. Without realizing it, her hands went to her child-like face. It was the main reason people always guessed she was younger than she really was.

Her Nanny Iris sighed, a weak smile appearing on her face. "I'm sorry Ib, I know you hate that, I'm just having a bad day. You're a beautiful young lady. Quickly now, you're parents are waiting in the car." Eve saw that Iris wasn't dressed finely.

"You're not coming Ms. Iris?" she asked a bit disappointed.

"Ib, I told you, just call me Iris, _Ms._ Iris makes me feel… old. And sorry I can't. I have some work from class I need to finish and someone needs to watch Oliver. Sorry Ib, maybe next time?" _'That's right, she's in College.'_ Eve thought.

"Hey, no frowning, it ruins your beauty. Hurry now, you've got to go." Eve nodded and followed her out.

~~~o~~~

An hour later, Eve was sitting at a table alone, picking at her dessert while the rest of her family mingled with others. During that last hour, she'd been dragged around by her parents to meet all their business partners and friends. Her feet ached, and she had begun to regret wearing heels.

Eve sighed, leaned back, and closed her eyes to listen to the orchestra play. The music was smooth and enchanting; it was one of the few things she'd actually enjoyed all night.

"Eve honey!" a voice startled her. She slowly turned to face her mother Estelle, who was looking at Eve with bright scarlet eyes. Her mother was dressed elegantly in a black floor length dress, with her hair pinned up with a matching color feathered hair piece. For anyone who saw her, they would believe she was no older than 25.

"Yes Mother?" Eve replied.

"Are you done eating sweetie? There are still some other people your father and I want you to meet." Estelle smiled.

Eve shook her head, "Sorry Mom, but my feet are killing me." motioning to her heels

Her mother pouted. "But Eve honey, there's a lot of people I still want you to meet."

Eve raised an eyebrow. "People? What kind of people?"

"Just a few other friends of ours. They really want to meet you! Please Eve?" her mother pleaded, giving her puppy eyes.

Eve hesitated and finally gave in, "Fine. I brought some extra flats to change into anyways. How about I go change and come back?" her mother immediately began beaming again, nodded and turned to return to the party.

"Hurry Eve, and tell me when you get back." She called over her shoulder excitedly. Eve sighed and headed towards the door.

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's so short. Promise i'll fix that. ^_^; but now onto the OC's!**

**Iris Jacobs (Age: 21): She's Ib's nanny. It sounds strange for a 17 year old to have a nanny but they've known each other a long time and Iris was hired as her official Nanny at the age of 15.**

**Oliver Roslyn (Age: 7): Ib's younger brother. He's very sweet, energetic and protective of his big sister. **

**R&R? Thanks! Have a smiley face :]**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again. Here's chapter 2! I want to thank you guys for the follow and review. I've decided to update weekly so expect a new chapter every Saturday (unless I'm unable to). Sorry for any grammatical errors. **** I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's. **

******Enjoy :)**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 2

Once outside, Eve took a deep breath, enjoying the rain cooled night air. Ever since she turned 13, Eve's parents had always taken her to the business parties and get-together's. _'I really don't want to go back inside, for all I know, my mom's probably going to introduce me to some 'potential suitors' She made a face, and began to slow her steps as she walked towards the car. __'I think I'll take my time, she won't know'_

When she got there, she quickly changed her shoes and began to walk back. Without warning, a dark figure emerged, going the opposite way. Before either noticed, they ran into each other.

A muffled scream escaped her lips, met by an "Oomph!" from the figure. They both fell together, Eve landing on top of the other. She quickly got up and tried offering her hand. _'Ib you idiot! It's too dark for them to see your hand!'_ she quickly pulled back, and looked for a way to help them up. Before she realized it, the person was on their feet, and sounded like they were dusting themselves off. She quickly began apologizing over and over, explaining how dark it was and her tendencies to be a bit clumsy. The figure, a boy by the sound of it, chuckled softly.

She stood, confused for a second before speaking, "Are you…okay?"

"Why, yes actually, thank you." He continued chuckling lightly. Eve felt her heart skip a beat; his voice was deep and smooth, catching her off guard. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly began to inch closer trying to make out his features. A weak light suddenly flickered on, and she found herself inches from him, her eyes on his lips.

She rapidly turned away, blushing. "S-sorry." She apologized again. The image of his lips flashed across her mind once more and her blush deepened.

"Um, miss?" his voice came again, a small laugh following it. She slowly turned to face him, and gave a silent gasp.

He stood smiling at her, sharp toned features, softened by his young age. He was about a head taller than her (Eve being about 5'5") with a muscular physique. He had dark blue iridescent eyes and violet colored hair that covered his left eye with darker strands at the top. He looked to be about 17. He wore a navy blue suit, and Eve guessed he was an attendee of the party as well.

"Um…miss?" he asked again. Eve noticed that she was intently staring at his face.

"Oh," she blushed again, "I'm sorry, um…" she paused.

As if knowing what was missing from her apology, he smiled and said, "My name is Garret…but you can call me Garry. What's yours?"

"M-me? My name is Eve, but you can call me Ib. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand and he gladly shook it.

"Ib you say…that's a pretty name." Garret slowly put away the lighter he had been holding. Eve hadn't even notice it. He winced and began to rub his shoulder, feeling the after effects of their fall.

"Garret?" she called meekly. He looked at her, "I've apologized a lot but, I'm sorry again for falling on you and for um…invading your personal space. It was just really dark and I didn't know I was so close." Eve began fidgeting. _'Why am I acting like a small child? I'm usually more mature about these things'_

Garret blinked, another smile creeping onto his face. "It's ok," he said, his eyes kind, "I know I'm just that good looking."

"What?" Eve said confused.

"Were you just looking for a little action Eve? Well, if so…" he eyed her up and down, "I could maybe show you a few things."

Eve was speechless. She looked into his eyes again and noticed they had turned completely cold. Any trace of kindness was completely gone.

"Is everything ok?" Eve spun around to see a young girl standing behind them, perhaps 12 or 13, eyeing them suspiciously. She was wearing a simple violet gown, her short black hair loose.

"No, nothing _Miranda_." Garret spoke, a grin across his face. He came up and put his arms around Eve's shoulders. "I'm just accompanying my new lady friend on her walk outside. Can't let anything happen to her, you know how dangerous it can be." Eve only stared forward, bewildered.

"As always Garret, you are such a gentleman." Miranda said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't take too much time, dad's looking for you. I'll tell him you're…" she glanced and Eve, her blue eyes flashing with dislike, "…preoccupied." And with that she turned around and began walking back towards the building.

"Don't have too much fun." She called over her shoulder, and quickly disappeared.

"Ah, what a wonderful baby sister, always there to cover for me." Garret said, slightly dreamily. Eve blinked, _'SISTER?'_

Garret then turned Eve around and began walking in a random direction. "So Eve, anything you want to do in particular before returning inside?" his voice sounded suggestive.

Eve stopped and calmly took Garrett's arm off her shoulders. He looked at her surprised.

"I'm sorry Garry but I have to get back inside. My mother is expecting me." she began to walk off.

Eve felt a sudden tug on her arm, "Yes?" she asked somewhat annoyed.

"Um, Ib, I'm sorry. Can we please just walk a bit longer? Then I'll let you leave." His voice sounded a bit desperate. Eve looked at him with slight disgust.

"So now you call me Ib? Regardless, I'm not staying. I don't really enjoy associating with…people like you." His grip tightened. Eve began to fell a minor panic rising inside her.

"Forgive me Ib, I-I really don't know what came over me. Please just stay with me for a bit?" he looked at her with sad eyes.

Eve sighed. "I don't know. I don't really know you that well and-"

"Oh no don't worry Ib!" he cut her off, "I promise I won't do anything to you. I just don't want to go back yet. I want to enjoy this just a bit longer." A slight blush appeared on his face. "Sorry, I sound a little selfish."

Eve looked at him quizzically, closed her eyes, and just gave in. "Ok, just a bit longer. But…there isn't really anywhere special we can go to around here."

Garret's face lit up immediately, he quickly let her go. "No where you say? Well then, today's your lucky day. I happen to know a special place we could go to that's fairly close by. If I may," he offered his arm, Ib calmly took it. He began pulling her in a certain direction, a spring in his step. _'I sure hope I don't regret this.'_

* * *

**Hope you guys liked it. Time to meet our newest OC ( (?)'s mean i'm trying to decide on a last name. I'll come back and edit it out once i do)**

**Miranda (?) (Age: 13): Garret's younger sister. She usually acts spoiled but she has her sweet moments. Loves her brother a lot but doesn't show it. Father treats her like a princess.**

**I did some research and found that Miranda means 'She who must be admired' it fits her pretty well.  
**

**R&R? Thanks & have a smiley face :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! I'm posting a bit earlier than I said I would since I'm going to be gone over the weekend. That's probably why it's kinda short. Not completely satisfied with this chapter but at the same time, I don't want to alter it. I'll leave it up to you guys.****I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 3

A few minutes later, Eve found herself inside a small garden, complete with an ivory fountain. It was surrounded by various types of flowers, the most prominent being roses. Roses of all colors grew around the fountain: blue, red, yellow, white, pink, etc. Eve was speechless.

"I see you like it." She turned her attention to Garret and found him seated on a stone bench amongst the blue roses. Her eyes widened. Garret looked breathtaking surrounded by the roses. It felt somehow…nostalgic. He smiled politely and patted the area next to him.

Eve hesitated. "What's wrong Ib? Are you worried about getting back? Don't worry we won't be here too long." He slowly rose, grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the bench. Once seated, Garret began to look towards the sky, admiring the stars. Eve continued feeling nervous.

"Say, Ib."

"Hm?"

"Do you know any of the constellations? I know a few but; I've always wanted to learn more of them."

Eve seemed to calm down a bit. "Y-yeah, well…you see that cluster of stars over there? That's Ursa Major." she pointed then shifted her arms to point to another, "Those three over there, that's Orion's Belt…and that one's Perseus…" Eve paused and furrowed her brow, as if in deep thought.

"Really?" Garret's eyes widened, surprised she hadn't pointed out one of the more common known constellation, "I knew of Perseus, but I was never sure where it was. Say Ib, you seem to know a good number of constellations."

"Oh, yeah. My dad loves Astronomy and he taught me about stars when I was little. I seem to have forgotten a few of them already." Eve continued trying to rack her brain for the names.

"Does he still teach you?" he asked.

"Sometimes…he's usually too busy to teach me much now. Our last 'lesson' was a month ago and only lasted about 5 minutes. We were discussing the planets then…" Eve trailed off.

"You should ask him to make some time to teach you more. Or just to refresh your memory. You know, you make me wonder what other things you've learned of…i'd ask you but, I kind of want to learn more about you as we go. Who knows? You may end up surprising me." Eve looked at him. She was about to speak when,

"Say, that one is Pegasus, right?" Garret cut her off.

"Y-Yes." _'Garry is a bit strange but at the same time, strangely charming.' _Eve felt a bit silly thinking that Garret was 'charming'.

Garret smiled, "Say Ib, I think I want to try naming some the other few constellations I know. If I'm wrong, would you mind correcting me?" he offered.

Eve blinked. Naming constellations had completely slipped her mind. "Sure Garry."

Garret stood suddenly, acting as if he was opening a magic act. "Well, prepare yourself to be amazed by my vast knowledge on constellations as I name them all right here right now."

Eve arched an eyebrow. "I thought you said you only knew a few of them."

"Oh did I?" Garret said innocently, "Well, let's just say I'm full of surprises. Of course…I'll need a lovely assistant to help me out. Let's see…you there." Garret pointed at Eve. He took her by her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"So, what do you say?" Garret winked, and Eve couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips.

"Okay Sir Garret the Great, show me what you know. And I will do my best to assist you." She smiled.

~~~o~~~

Garret had just finished naming his 12th constellation, with few mistakes, when a low chiming could be heard in the distance.

*_Ding…Ding…Ding…Ding…Ding...*_

Eve and Garret turned towards the sound.

*_Ding…Ding…Ding…Ding…*_

Nine O'clock. Eve's eyes widened. "Oh no…" she felt her heart drop. She quickly stood and was about to run off when Garret grabbed her wrist.

"Garry, we really have to go. Isn't your dad looking for you as well?" Eve was anxious to return.

Garret frowned as he looked towards the building. "Um, I don't think I'll go inside yet Ib."

"But I do...Why are you holding onto me?" she asked.

"Oh…um," Garret hesitated, "Ib...can we, perhaps…we will meet again, right?" a slight blush appeared on his face.

Eve gave him a small reassuring smile. "Sure Garry, I'm sure we'll meet again. But now, I have to go." Garret let her go, seeming reluctant about her departing. She gave Garret a quick wave and dashed off towards the building.

* * *

**There it is. Sorry for any mistakes. Hope you liked it. R&R, and have a smiley face :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Forgive me for the late update, I didn't have time to do it earlier, but here it is! Chapter 4! We finally meet Mary!****I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 4

Once she was back inside, Eve immediately went looking for her mother. _'Mom's going to be so upset! I should've paid more attention to the time!' _she thought. Her eyes searched everywhere and found her mother sitting at their reserved table, awaiting her daughter's return.

"Mom, I'm back!" Eve called. Her mother turned at her voice, and to Eve's surprise, smiled widely.

"Oh Eve honey! What took you so long?" her mother tilted her head

"I'm sorry; I ran into a slight…implication." Eve felt her face warm a bit at the indirect mention of Garret. _'Hm? Why am I blushing?' _she shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to her mother who was eyeing her suspiciously.

"Whatever it was, at least you're back. Now follow me, I want to introduce you to my friend's daughter. She's very sweet and educated." She rose quickly and took Eve by the hand.

"Oh, ok Mom." _'No guy? Thank God.'_ Eve thought.

Eve's mother quickly led her to a table on the opposite side of the ballroom that was lively and filled with laughter. Upon arriving, Eve's mother quickly introduced her to everyone at the table. She spotted her father seated opposite them, taking part in the bright atmosphere.

"Wow Estelle! She looks just like you! Sorry Nathan." A middle-aged woman commented. Her golden brown eyes and warm smile accented her youthful face perfectly. Eve's father, Nathaniel, made a slight face at her prior statement.

Before her father could reply, her mother cut him off, "Sarah! Just the person I was looking for! I wanted Eve to meet your daughter. Where is she?"

Sarah nodded and quickly skimmed the area looking for her daughter. "Ah! There she is! Mary dear, come and meet Eve!"

Eve turned the direction Sarah was looking and saw Mary for the first time. She was beautiful with golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a knee-length mint-green colored dress with a silver belt. She smiled widely at seeing Eve and rushed over.

"Hi! I'm Mary Blaine! You must be Eve. You're really adorable you know that? It's so nice to finally meet you!" Mary continued grinning.

Eve blinked and felt her mother pinch her side. "Ow-oh! Hello Mary, It's very nice to meet you too. If you would like, you can call me Ib." she smiled weakly. _'She's really…bubbly.'_ Eve thought.

Mary grabbed Eve's hands and began to sway them. "Ib? Ok then, Ib it is. You know Ib, it's so rare that I find another girl my age at these events. Although, at first glance, I would think you're much younger!"

Eve winced slightly. "Yeah, people tell me that a lot." She gave another weak smile. She noticed Mary was pulling them away from the table, heading in a random direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry Ib, did I upset you? I see, you don't like it when people tell you-…woops. There I go again, Sorry Ib. Let's move onto another subject. Say, you go to Guertena Academy right?" Eve nodded.

"Wonderful! Well guess what? I'm going to be transferring there! I'm starting this week!" Mary squealed.

"Really? Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow Monday." Eve replied.

"Oh, no I'm not starting until Wednesday. I have to get settled in our new home first and then register, so I won't be there Monday." She frowned, "But on Wednesday you'll help me right? Like show me around and introduce me to your friends? I'm sure you have a lot of them, you seem very charming you know?"

Eve could only nod. Sure, she spoke to people, but she didn't really have many people that went under file as a 'friend'. _'Well, with this type of attitude, I'm sure she'll make a lot of friends easily.' _The two girls continued to chat for what seemed like eternity, not that Eve minded. She came to like Mary and her bubbly character.

~~~o~~~

"Eve sweetie! Come back, we've got to go! It's almost 10 and you've got school tomorrow!" Eve's mother called.

"Has that much time already passed?" Mary frowned, "It looks like you have to go. But, it's okay, because we will see each other soon! Right?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll s-" Eve stopped as Mary suddenly gave her a hug. When she let go, Eve smiled weakly, turned, and began walking towards her mother. Before leaving, she turned and waved at Mary.

~~~o~~~

Once back in the car, Eve ran the night's events through her head once more; she began to look towards the area where she and Garret had been naming the different constellations. She remembered her recent meeting with Mary. Their last statements ran through her thoughts once more,

"_Ib...can we…perhaps…we will meet again, right?"_

"_Aw, looks like you have to go. But, it's okay, because we will see each other soon!"_

Eve smiled._ 'I'm sure we'll meet again soon Garret. And Mary, well she seems nice; I think we'll end up being great friends.' _She thought and closed her eyes for the long ride home.

* * *

**There it is. Sorry for any mistakes. A small OC here so I guess I'll introduce her,**

**Sarah Blaine (38): Mary's Mother. Just as bubbly and lively as her daughter. Will appear here and there.**

**Onto other news, what do you think about Mary's bubbly character? If you have any ideas or thoughts about the story feel free to comment. Until next week! Have a smiley face C:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Happy Saturday. Before anything I want to say thanks. Your reviews and follows are very much appreciated. :) These time changes are being a bit...uncooperative. ****I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Hope hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 5

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the large room that seemed to be cloaked entirely in a variety of red hues. The room itself was neat and organized, few posters or original works lined the walls. The sun's rays continued to stretch across the room, until it landed on a body shape on the queen sized bed on the far right wall. The body on the bed shifted slightly, wrapping itself tighter in the satin crimson sheets, as if trying to hide from the rays of sunlight. A light moan surfaced from the figure.

"Eve! Get up! It's almost 7, you have school today honey! Hurry, I'll be waiting in the car!" a kind voice called. Eve shifted again, covering her head with a pillow, hoping she could sleep just a bit longer...

"EVE! GET UP! You're mother is not going to wait forever!" another booming voice nearly threw Eve out of bed. Her head shot up from the covers, her hair a wild mess.

"C-coming Iris!" she replied shortly. She quickly lifted her body from her bed, blinking her ruby eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. She yawned as she shuffled to her personal bathroom to prepare herself for the long day ahead.

~~~o~~~

Fifteen minutes later, Eve was sitting on a stool in the kitchen, waiting for her toast to pop out of the toaster. She was dressed in her school's uniform which consisted of a white dress shirt (the sleeves short since the weather was warm) ; simple knee-length uniform skirt, and black, low heel Mary Janes. Eve's school, Guertena Academy, encouraged students to become creative with their uniform, adding whatever they desire, as long as it was within specific size and length regulations. Eve had chosen red for her skirt color, added black knee-length socks, and a red cravat. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail, her bangs slightly combed to the side. She liked her choice's simplicity and it fit her rather well. As for having a creative touch, Eve preferred to be innovative when it came to creating actual art or performing music.

In her head, Eve began replaying the previous night's events. As Garret crossed her mind, she frowned slightly at his 'alternate' personality, wondering how someone so charming could have developed such an unpleasant character. Next she thought of Mary, the smiling face of the girl manifested in her thoughts, and Eve found herself eager to meet her again. Eve seemed to not hear the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen, a slight twitch being her only reaction.

"Well, Good Morning Sleeping Beauty. I was beginning to wonder if I would have to go up there and drag you out of bed," stated Iris. Eve continued to stare at the toaster lost in thought.

"What? No response?" Iris inched closer to Eve. "Ib, is something wrong? You're usually up before I get here. And a very cheerful morning person." Eve remained silent.

_*DING*_

The toaster went off. Eve jumped slightly at the sound, her train of thought lost. She quickly grabbed the toast and began glazing it in honey. When she finished, she took a bite, seemingly still unaware of Iris' presence.

"Ib, you're not ignoring me are you?" Iris tapped the girl on her shoulder. Eve turned quickly, and cocked her head in confusion. She swallowed and responded, "Iris? When did you get here?"

"Did you really not notice...wow Ib. I wonder what could have happened last night that's captured your attention so." Iris posed as if in deep thought, "Oh, I know, Ib's thinking about that guy she met last night." Iris said suggestively.

Eve's eyes widened and she felt a light blush on her cheeks. "G-guy? N-no! What are you talking about?" _'Could she...? No, she couldn't possibly know of Garret. She wasn't even there! And why am I blushing?!'_ Eve thought, she quickly took another bite of her toast in hopes of steering her mind in another direction.

"Aw, that got your attention! And by the looks of it, you _did_ meet a boy! Well, don't look at me like that! I want info! Who was it? What is he on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best? How'd you meet? Is he a proper age? You didn't do anything improper did you?" Iris attacked with questions. As Eve was about to open her mouth, when a loud honking was heard from outside.

_*HONK*_

"That was mother, looks like I have to go. Sorry Iris, I can't answer your questions now." Eve said grinning impishly, relieved that that Garret would remain her little secret a bit longer.

Iris narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Fine, you win this round. But no worries, when you get home, you'll be telling me everything. And if you refuse, I have until Wednesday to get it out of you."

Eve coked her head. "Wednesday? But you won't need to be here tonight, not until Friday at least. My parents are going to be home all week and don't leave for that business trip until then." Iris smiled mysteriously.

"I thought I told you already." Iris stated innocently. "You're parents were called away on that business trip a bit early. They leave tonight and won't be back until Wednesday. Your parents need someone to stay with you and Oliver until then, and guess who's job that is?" Eve suddenly felt scared. Without parental supervision, Iris could become…unpredictable.

"Hey, speaking of Oliver, where is my lovable little brother?" Eve asked, trying to change to subject.

"Oh, he had a Parent Career Day. He and your father left early this morning for it. But don't worry; he'll be here when you get back." Iris' smile weakened a bit, "It does kind of feel like an incomplete morning without his bright morning greetings, doesn't it?" Eve nodded in agreement as she took another bite from her toast. "I wonder how you didn't notice before. He alwa-"

_*HONK*_

Iris was cut off; she and Eve both jumped at the sound. "Well, looks like you have to go. Here, don't forget your lunch." Iris handed Eve a simple pink lunch bag. Eve almost winced, she wasn't really a fan of the color, but it was the bag her brother Oliver had chosen for her when they had gone back to school shopping. She took the bag, almost reluctantly, jumped off the stool and grabbed her belongings.

As she was about to walk out the door, Eve heard Iris call her. She turned to face her nanny, surprised to see the smug look on her face.

"See you later tonight then Ib. And remember, we need to finish discussing your new…acquaintance." Iris winked. Eve blinked, then slowly nodded and headed outside.

* * *

** There it is. If you haven't guessed, we'll be officially meeting Oliver next week :). I can't wait. Thanks for reading. Until next week, have a smiley face. :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6! Sorry I took a week, school has been quite stressing, and I haven't had time to upload. And as a consolation gift, for being patient with me, I will be putting up chapter 7 tomorrow(i still have to revise and edit it :3)! Just letting you guys know this may be normal (uploading late that is,) until school is over. So please continue to be patient with me. :) Thank You so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites you guys are just awesome. ************I don't own Ib everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**At last we meet Oliver! Chapter 6, enjoy :)**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 6

Eve walked through the gates of Guertena Academy, slightly relieved. The ride to school had been a bit...tiring. Her mother had continuously talked about how happy she was that Eve had met Mary and how she hoped they'd be the best of friends. Eve had only half-listened, staring out the car window, that is, until her mother began talking about _him._

Estelle had met a young man at the business soirée the night before. Eve initially thought she had been discussing some 'potential suitor' she wanted her daughter to meet or a want-to-be business partner, and Eve couldn't have cared less. Her mother then described him as having an 'intriguing' hair style and a flirtatious attitude. Eve blinked surprised, deciding against asking her mother for more information regarding the 'boy' lest her mother become suspicious of her daughter's sudden interest. _'There's a slight chance that the 'young man' she met was Garry…ok, a real good chance it was him…'_As quickly as he had come up, her mother moved onto another topic, and Eve returned to starring at blurry figures pass them by.

Eve stopped in the schools courtyard, and looked at the small clock tower located at the center. It read 7:45; classes wouldn't start for another 35 minutes. She began shifting her weight from foot to foot, wondering how to kill the time. She didn't really have anyone in particular that she could talk to at the High School, and anyone she could spend time with wouldn't be there for at least 20 minutes.

An idea then popped into Eve's mind. _'What about going to visit Oliver? I didn't see him this morning, and father would be there as well…'_ With that, she decided to pay a quick visit to the Elementary school division to see Oliver. She felt a bit sad about not being able to see him this morning, not that she was one to tell. She patted her skirt, re-adjusted her red cravat, and began making her way there.

Guertena Academy is separated into 5 separate sections. The left hand side consists of the Elementary building and the School Theatre. The right side has the Middle School Building and a large pond where students can spend free their free time feeding ducks or out on the lake in canoes/paddle boats. The High School is located at the far center, along with the school garden. Each section is a short walk from the Student Courtyard. Student dorms were separate buildings located next to each school respectively. In total, Guertena Academy has about 7,000 students (all 3 schools included).

~~~o~~~

'_So, let's see, the Parent Career Day is being held in the…gym. I hope I can find them.' _Eve thought. She had just made it to the Elementary school and surprisingly, found no one. She decided they must all have been taking part in the Parent Career Day and they didn't think there'd be any more guest and hour after it's started.

Eve quickly turned the corner past the Main office of the Elementary School and headed towards the gym. She quickly glanced at a hallway clock, 7:55. _'I'd better hurry, even if there's 20 minutes until classes, visiting Oliver can be a bit…time consuming.'_ She made her way to the gym with alacrity.

~~~o~~~

"Ib! When did you get here?" a young voice chirped. Eve turned to the owner of the voice, a smile appearing on her lips. It was her younger brother, Oliver. His dark green eyes filled with surprise and pure joy.

"Well Good Morning to you too Oliver! What do you mean what am I doing here? I came to visit you, aren't you happy?" Eve pouted, and feigned being hurt.

"Ah, no! I'm sorry Ib. I didn't mean it like that. Of course I'm happy that you're here!" He slowly inched closer to his elder sister, looking for a way to comfort her. In a flash, Eve grabbed Oliver and pulled him into a large air-restricting hug.

"I'm kidding Oliver. You always take me so serious." She ruffled his black-brownish hair as she continued to squeeze him. She'd always acted a bit different around her little brother. Eve was usually reserved and distant, but when it came to Oliver, she couldn't help the feelings of excitement that grew inside her. It was almost as if she had developed a completely different personality thanks to him.

"Ib! S-stop, my friends might see me…And I can't breathe!" the 2nd grader squirmed in her grasp.

"So? Isn't it my job to embarrass you every once in a while? And fine." She began to smirk, as she put Oliver at arm's length away from her and looked at him. His round, pale face was a bright red, his eyes scanning the area for any school mates that might have seen his sister's act of love. He was an average sized 7 year old, but much more energetic and gregarious. Her smirk dissolved into a gentle smile and she ruffled his hair once more.

"Ib, stop being weird." Oliver giggled. He then looked up towards something or _someone_ behind Eve. She turned around and came within inches of a face.

Eve made a sort of squeaking sound, and jumped slightly. A smile appeared on the figure's face as he straitened his body. "Dad!" Eve said flabbergasted starring up at her father (who stood about 5'11").

"Good Morning Ib." Nathaniel smiled. He glanced at Oliver, his dark eyes showing the slightest hint of discontent. "I wanted to surprise you," he told Eve as he returned to look at her, "But someone, ruined it." Oliver simply shrugged his shoulders and giggled again, "Sorry Dad. I did;t know."

Nathaniel, or Nathan for short, waved his hand dismissively as if saying, 'It's fine, I was just joking.', and turned his attention to Eve, "Shouldn't you be in the High School?" he checked his wrist watch, You won't be late will you? It's already 8:00." he lifted an eyebrow.

"Not to worry dad, I'm not staying long. I just came to visit. Afterwards, I'll probably go and roam the school grounds until about 8:10. I'm bound to find something to distract me. So, how's the Parent Career Day going? And have you presented yourself yet?" Eve asked. She felt Oliver come up and stand next to her. Eve noticed he was trying to stand as tall as possible, he greatly disliked being so short.

"It's going great. And yes I have, I'm sorry you missed it. I'm now meeting a lot of Oliver's classmates and their parents. Many of them were real interested in me when they discovered I'm the current owner of Ebony."

"Oh really? That's interesting." Eve nodded. _'Ah yes, our family's company…The one I'm supposed to take over once I completely finish my education.' _ Eve thought.

Ebony was the world's leading Arts Company; it had been started by Eve's great grandfather in 1875. It produced music for hundreds of celebrity singers from all over the world, played large roles in the production of hundreds of plays, musicals, and operas from Broadway to the Sydney Opera House. It manufactured top quality musical instruments from all over the world. Both her parents expected Eve to take over the company as soon as she was able, and somehow make it even more successful than it already was, if that was even possible.

~~~o~~~

The Parent Career Day was only half-way finished. There were quite a few parents left that still had to present, and Oliver and Nathan invited Eve to stay instead of wandering the school grounds doing nothing. She had grabbed a few orderves to nibble on from the refreshments table. She then proceeded to continue chatting with her father, brother and even a few classmates of Oliver. Exactly at 8:10 (she had been checking the time often), she bid her father and brother farewell and dismissed herself.

"Well, I guess I'll be leaving then. I'll meet you at the front gates when school's out ok Oliver? Goodbye Dad, Goodbye Oliver." Eve shifted her backpack and began making her way towards the exit.

"Bye Ib! Make sure you don't get there late!" Oliver called behind her. Her father simply waved. Eve suddenly halted, as if she suddenly remembered, something urgent, made her way back to her father, and gave him a hug.

"Iris told me you and mom leave tonight instead of the weekend, and you won't be back until Wednesday." she mumbled, "Make sure to get me a souvenir, okay?" Nathan simply blinked, then wrapped his arms around Eve to hug her back.

"Of course sweetheart and sorry we forgot to tell you. I guess we'll see you Wednesday, be good until then." He smiled, a bit embarrassed, as they ended their hug. Eve simply nodded. She then turned her attention towards Oliver. His body jolted slightly from surprise. Eve looked around the perimeter, checking to see if anyone was looking their way, no one was. She then turned back towards Oliver and gave him a quick peck on the head.

"E-Eve!" he stammered, and blushed once more. He put his hands to his head, as if her simple kiss had left a sign that said, 'I was kissed here!' Nathan simply chuckled.

"Oh don't worry, I made sure none of your friends were looking. See you later then," She gave him a lopsided smile, gave a quick wave over her shoulder, walked out the gym doors, and was enveloped in sunlight.

* * *

**Sorry for any mistakes. Hope you liked it, and just a small hint, we'll be meeting someone special in chapter 7. You guys can probably guess, but don't tell! Let's just keep it a secret until then, agreed? Agreed. Thanks for reading, until _tomorrow! _R&R. And as always, have a smiley face ^.^**


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised, chapter 7. And may I say, I am quite proud of this one. It's my longest one so far. We meet 2 new OC's and a_ special someone_. Who could it be? Read and find out. And if you haven't noticed, I've gone back and made a few adjustments. I'll explain then at the end of the chapter.**** I don't own Ib, everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Now onto the story,**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter

Eve quickly walked through the halls of Guertena Academy's High School, making her way to her locker. She had arrived to the school with 10 minutes to spare. Upon opening the locker, she looked towards the small list on the outer door of the locker. It contained a small list of all the materials she would need for the specific day (The classes ran on a AB block schedule).

As she gathered her things, a few groups of students passed her; she overheard heard snippets of their conversations,

"_Did you hear…new student" _

"_Very…charming"_

"_Transferred…wealthy family"_

"_Suddenly…popular"_

Eve paused _'Could it be Mary? No, she told me she wouldn't start until Wednesday. If she was able to start Monday, she would have called me, we did exchange numbers.' _Who was this new student? Eve had to admit she was a bit curious who it could be, but at the same time, she couldn't have cared less.

~~~o~~~

Once finished, she shut her locker, and readjusted her books to her left arm. As she was about to leave, she heard someone call her name. "Ib!" Eve turned towards the voice to see her friend Emily Taylor making her way towards her.

The ginger's short and curly hair bobbed as she ran, her mint-blue eyes sparkling with anticipation. Eve stood confused. Emily was usually reserved and calm like her; it took something major to have her running through the halls showing such excitement. She wondered what had caused her friend of 6 years to become so anxious.

Once there, Emily had accidentally ran into Eve with such force that they both nearly fell over. Emily apologized, and then leaned over, taking a few seconds to catch her breath. "Good Morning Emily." Eve said simply, "What are you so excited about?"

The redhead nodded and began to answer between breathes, "I'm sure...you've heard of…the…new student."

Eve nodded, "Yes I have." As Emily was about to speak again Eve cut her off, "Catch your breath completely before speaking again Emily, I can hardly understand you when you speak like that."

Emily straitened up, any trace of weariness gone, "Forgive me Ib, I was just quite excited. I usually don't do this with other new students, but this one is-" the School's warning bell cut her off.

"Tell me in class before we begin the lesson." Eve motioned for Emily to follow her to class.

"Wait Ib! Don't go that-" Emily began as she tried to get Eve to go in a different direction to get to class.

"Save it Emily. You know this way is quicker." Eve replied. As she turned the corner to the next hall, she came face to face with a multitude of bodies. "W-what?!" Eve looked at the bodies with a look of pure confusion. They were all looking towards one direction, whispering eagerly amongst each other.

"I was trying to tell you Eve. This new student is pretty popular. All the girls seem to be under some kind of spell thanks to him." Emily walked from the locker towards the multitude and gave a hard push, it barely made a dent, and no one seemed to notice. "See? Let me tell you, I'm somewhat afraid to try to do anything else to get by, lest they attack me. You know how girls can get when their estrogen levels are too high" she gave a small smile.

Eve sighed slightly annoyed, putting her free hand to her temple, "Honestly? He's just one guy! How can one person cause such an event?" She craned her neck in an attempt to see this new student responsible for the swarm of female bodies. She had no luck.

She turned towards Emily, "Do you by chance know his name?" she asked.

Emily shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry, no, at least, not entirely. I only heard his last name. It's Mazarine."

'_Mazarine…it sounds familiar. I think I've heard that name somewhere before but where?' _Eve thought. She then huffed, "I haven't the time to deal with this, and class begins in two minutes. We should leave." She turned on her heel and walked away from the swarm, Emily followed close behind her.

~~~o~~~

Once in their first class, Art History, Eve and Emily took their normal seats near the front of the class and began the warm up. Their teacher, Ms. Abbott, had left the back door to the class open since the other was _occupied._

Ms. Abbott was an incomplex teacher. She wasn't mean or difficult, her character leaned more towards being amiable and understanding, but she wasn't one to show it. She had a cool demeanor, but no patience for stupidity. Her physical features included short, bluish-black hair, with deep blue eyes. Her face was slightly round and youthful. She wasn't married, but she did once confess that she had a fiancée. There were rumors of her fiancée being a teacher she had a close relationship with in the school. She would constantly deny these accusations, stating that her fiancée was an instructor at a fencing school. Which one, she never told.

The final bell rang, and slowly, the excitement outside died down. A few of the girls from the multitude outside entered the class, whispering amongst each other. Ms. Abbott gave them an annoyed look as she drank her morning tea, and they quiet down immediately. _'Thank God, it's quiet now. I wonder how long it'll last…' _Eve thought.

~~~o~~~

"…_**And as always students, with any form of art, remember to immerse yourself entirely; mind, body, and soul." **_

The morning announcements shut off. Eve shivered slightly; the school motto never failed to give her chills. She always thought that if the wrong type of person with an unknown _twisted_ or _unfit _character completely _immersed_ themselves in what they created, the outcome could be quite _horrid_. She shook off the unsettling feeling and continued to read the pages that had been assigned that day.

Currently, they were learning about Weiss Guertena, whom Guertena Academy was named after. Eve thought his art was slightly _unsettling_, but fascinating nonetheless. Her favorite piece was the 'Embodiment of Spirit'. It was a vibrant sculpture of a large red rose, with an elongated, coiling stem. Surrounding the rose were petals, which would confuse the viewer, since the rose itself seemed to be completely healthy and full of life, why would it lose petals? Eve always felt feelings of nostalgia and slight melancholy when viewing the piece, but regardless, she loved it.

As Eve was reading about other pieces Guertena had created, she noticed a small motion in the corner of her vision. It was Emily trying to get her attention. She looked to see her pointing towards the door. Eve switched her focus to see the outline of a figure standing behind it through the door's small glass window.

She whispered to Emily, "Who is that?" Emily shrugged to say, 'I have no idea.'

_*KNOCK KNOCK*_

The entire class turned towards the door. Ms. Abbott looked up from editing her class schedule, "Ah, I see our beloved new student has arrived." she said with slight interest. She rose slowly, and headed to open the door.

'_The new student is in our class?' _Eve and Emily gave each other bewildered looks. Eve then gave the door a look of distaste. _'I finally get to see this 'new student' who's been causing such a ruckus.' _she thought as Ms. Abbott cracked the door open and slipped through, to talk with the new student.

The previously silent class erupted in conversation. Only Eve and Emily remained silent, listening to the rest of the class' discussion.

"Did anyone see him?"

"No, Ms. Abbott blocked the view! I only saw his uniform!"

"Same here!"

"He looks very tall…"

"What luck! He's in our class! I have to message the others about this."

"Do you know what his name is?"

"No,"

"I do! I heard it this morning, it-"

The door opened once again, showing only Ms. Abbott. She cracked the door behind her, leaving it open for the mysterious new student standing outside. She made her way to the center of the class, and stopped in front of her desk. Her previously bored features were turned into a sly smile. The entire class sat confused, excluding anyone who had met the student beforehand, they knew _exactly_ why she was smiling.

"Well students, after talking with our new student, I must say, he is quite the charmer." She chuckled slightly, _'That's…unusual.' _Eve thought. It wasn't exactly easy to make Ms. Abbott smile, and as for laughing, that was a completely different story. Not that she didn't, it was just rare that she would.

"You can come in now," Ms. Abbott called. The door opened and in stepped the new student. Eve sat in complete and utter shock. _'When…did this happen!?' _The new student made his way next to Ms. Abbott.

"Wow Ib, he's quite the looker, or 'eye-candy', as they call it these days." Emily commented under her breath.

He was a good foot taller than Ms. Abbott, and had a simple smile on his attractive features. As his eyes skimmed over the class, the group of girls from before squealed in delight. When his eyes fell on Eve, his dark blue eyes locked with her crimson ones. He blinked with surprise, but quickly regained his composure. His smile turned smug and widened, his eyes filled with longing, like a lion watching its prey. _"Hello Ib" _he mouthed. At this, Eve abruptly gained mixed feelings of misfortune and immense happiness.

The group of girls behind Eve began whispering amongst themselves,

"Why is he looking at Eve that way? Do they know each other?"

"No idea, but he sure seems pleased."

"I'm very jealous!"

"Why doesn't he look here?"

But Eve barely heard them. She was too focused on the person standing across from her. On _him._

Emily noted their sudden interest in each other. "Ib? Have you both by chance, met each other before?" she whispered. Eve nodded numbly, she was still in shock.

Ms. Abbott cleared her throat, "Now that you've gotten a good look at him, this is our new student, Garret Mazarine."

Garret bowed slightly, "Nice to meet you class, I hope we can become great friends." His eyes never left Eve's.

She fidgeted a bit before shaking off the feeling of shock, leaving herself with disbelief. She released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It was _Garry. _The new student everyone was so anxious about was _Garry_. And he was solely interested in _her._

* * *

**Garry's made his reappearance! I was real excited writing this. Especially that school motto. ;) Now onto the OC's and adjustments made:**

**Cecile Abbott (24): Eve's Art History teacher. British. Will re-appear here and there. Her character is _very _similar to someone else. A pat on the back to anyone who can guess.**

**Emily Taylor (17): Eve's sort-of best friend. Their personalities are somewhat similar, which explains why they enjoy each other's company.**

**Now onto the adjustments, if you've noticed, I've decided on last names, based on rose color. Let me list them,**

**Garret Mazarine (means deep blue)**

**Eve Roslyn (means red)**

**Mary Blaine (means yellow)**

**That's all for this week. Again, I appreciate the follows, reviews, and favorites. They make me so happy :) Until next Saturday (hopefully)! R&R. And as always, Have a smiley face, 'v'**


	8. Chapter 8

**Two entire weeks, I feel ashamed. But testing is mostly over, and I've gotten awesome grades. :D So updates should start regulating soon. I'm posting today since I'll be gone this weekend. (Waterpark XD). I want to give major Thanks to you guys for the reviews, follows, and favorites. They make me so happy :D. Now onto the story, I knew some of you would guess who the 'special someone' was, and I applaud you! Great Job. ********I don't own Ib, everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

** Let's get onto the story shall we? Enjoy!**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 8

After his introduction, Garret was seated on the far-left hand side of the class. The lesson continued normally enough for Eve, excluding the feeling of the multiple stares directed her way. The most prominent of the stares she guessed was Garret's. _'__I know he's REAL excited about seeing me...' _Eve thought slightly annoyed, _'But our 'unknown relationship' might just get me killed...especially if he keeps up that playboy personality of his...'_

~~~o~~~

The end of first block had come, and as usual, students were allowed 15-minute breaks between classes. Emily quickly waved to Eve as she left, her next class was on the other side of the building, that, and she was the teacher's assistant for that semester.

Eve calmly (but speedily) packed her belongings. As she was reaching for her pencil, a hand reach towards it and grab it first. Her head snapped up, and to no one's surprise, it was Garret.

His mouth curved into a brilliant seductive smile, "Hello Ib, let me tell you, this was quite a surprise,"

Eve simply stared at him, her face showing no hint of emotion. "Good Morning Garret. Yes, it was very surprising to discover we've become schoolmates " She turned back to packing her things. She could practically feel the needles the group of girls glared at her.

Garret pouted, "By calling me _Garret, _I'm guessing you're not happy to see me? That hurts Ib, it really does. Considering the fact that I felt _ecstatic _when I saw you." He said, keeping his voice low when he noticed the stares.

"Oh really now? Well, I'm sorry I disappointed you. But I really have no time to deal with you…_Garret. _On the other hand, I would very much like to see _Garry _again." Eve said monotonously, matching his volume. The needles became thin blades.

Garret furrowed his brow, confused by her statement, "But I am both Garry _and _Garret. What do you mean you have time for one but not the other?"

"I see you misunderstand me, I have no time for you now _Garret, _as I do tire of your distasteful and flirtatious games. But perhaps later on, I could converse with my preferred personality _Garry_." Eve tried again to get her point across.

Garret's eyes widened as he understood Eve's suggestion. "I understand. Well, in that case Ib," he leaned towards her, his breath tickling her ear, " we can meet at the school pond during lunch. As I prefer to be Garry when we're..._alone_." Eve felt goose bumps, but quickly shook them off. The thin blades turned into knives, oh if looks could kill.

"Sorry, but I can't. I'll be eating with Emily like we always do, in the school courtyard." Eve sighed as she realized she had grabbed the wrong book for her next class, and would have to go to her locker to switch them out. "The back woods are simply terrifying." She muttered.

Garret simply nodded. "What a pity, perhaps another time then?" Eve simply nodded, as the blades seemed to retract. But they didn't disappear completely.

Eve picked up her bag, and double checked everything to make sure she was leaving nothing behind. She looked up towards Garret, and motioned for him to return her pencil. As he handed it to her, Eve spoke up once more, "Another thing Garret, please refrain from calling me Ib, as we are schoolmates, and not exactly _friends_. I would much prefer it for you to call me by my name, Eve." She turned then and walked towards the door, giving a slight wave to Ms. Abbott who simply nodded in return.

"Why of course, I guess I'll see you later then, _Eve_." He called behind her.

~~~o~~~

Eve felt lunch hadn't come quickly enough. She sat bored on a stone bench in the secret garden surrounded by the back woods. She looked around once more at the familiar surroundings. True to it's name, the garden was one that few students knew about. It was about a 3-5 minute walk from the back area of the high school to the garden. It was a small square area, consisting of no more than 4 or 5 flower beds, each with a different type of vibrant flower. A cherry blossom tree sat in the far left corner, a willow in the far right corner, two stone benches on either side, with a small marble fountain located at its center.

She and Emily had always eaten here, ever since they had accidentally stumbled upon it during their 'exploration' of the school grounds when they were in middle school. In fact, it was the very location they had first met. Eve looked back up towards the sky as she continued to wait for her friend, the familiar memories flooding her thoughts.

~~~_ flashback ~~~_

_Eve pulled yet another thistle from her sock, annoyed by the fact that there were so many. She had been exploring the school grounds for about an hour, already having explored the pond and area around the middle school countless times. _

_Eve sighed, 'I see there's nothing of interest here,' she thought, 'Oh well, I guess I should head back.' _

_A gentle breeze blew as she was about to leave, and she caught a glimpse of pink specks floating around her. Eve cocked her head in confusion, 'What is this?' She reached out her hand and caught a speck from mid-air, bringing it closer for inspection. It was a rose colored flower petal. _

_Eve wondered from where it had come when an overwhelmingly sweet scent filled her nostrils. She turned to see more petals filling the air as the breeze grew stronger. She unconsciously followed the petals, hoping to find the source._

_Within a few seconds, she found it, a small cherry-blossom tree in full bloom, with petals cascading down. Her mouth curved into a small smile. 'Beautiful.' She thought. She didn't notice the small body leaning against the tree below it__ until it was too late._

"_Oomph!" Eve fell face first into the soft grass surrounding the small tree. She quickly shifted, to see what she had tripped over, and was surprised to see a young girl with hair like fire._

"_Oh! I-I'm sorry!" Eve apologized. She kneeled in next to the girl, who simply stared back._

"_It's fine. I saw the distant look in your eyes before you tripped over me and I guessed you weren't paying attention anyways." She replied. The girl returned to reading a book Eve hadn't noticed she was holding. Eve stared at the girl uncomfortably, surprised by her slightly hurting remark._

"_I was only trying to apologize, you don't have to be so mean about it." She mumbled and went back to staring at the flower petals that surrounded them. After about 3 minutes, she heard the girl sigh, and close the book._

"_I wasn't trying to be rude, just frank. If I sounded rude, forgive me." She gave a slight nod to Eve._

"_It's fine; I did kind of jump to conclusions without seeing my own fault in the event." Eve continued to watch the tree with a slight awe. Silence returned upon them once more._

_The girl broke the silence, and Eve turned to face her. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I always love coming to read or just relax beneath this tree when it's blooming. It's sad the blooms last such a short while." She smiled lightly at Eve._

"_Quite." Eve replied. The two girls continued to stare at eachother silent. "I'm guessing we should introduce ourselves?" Eve suggested._

_The girl shrugged her shoulders, "Sure. I guess we've been talking for a sufficient amount of time to introduce ourselves. My name is Emily Taylor. I'm a middle schooler, 6th grader. I'm guessing you are too since you're wearing the uniform and you appear quite young." Emily pointed towards Eve's attire._

_Eve was slightly taken back her response but her face revealed nothing. "Nice to meet you Emily, my name is Eve Rosalyn, but feel free to call me Ib. And you're correct, I am a 6th grader. I wonder why I haven't seen you around the school?" she extended her hand, "Nevertheless, it's nice to meet you. " _

_Emily took it, her smile growing, "I recently transferred. Tell me, how strange would it be if after this, we became the best of friends Ib?"_

_Eve couldn't help but smile back, "Why, I wouldn't find it peculiar at all my dear Emily."_

* * *

**We got to see how Eve and Emily met. How sweet haha. And to make things sweeter, I'll be posting two chapters today. I just have to finish revising the other. So I'll see you in a bit. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**As promised, chapter 9. Nothing real eventful happens, but not to worry, the excitement is soon to start. Especially with Mary on the way...I wonder what'll happen. ************I don't own Ib, everything belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Onto chapter 9,**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 9

The sound of twigs snapping broke Eve from her thoughts. She turned to see Emily coming out from the brush holding their lunch. "Why, hello there Emily, it's nice of you to join me." Eve said smirking.

Emily rolled her eyes, "Forgive me Ib, I just wasn't expecting to find a certain someone along the way. You could have told me beforehand that someone would be joining us." She began making her way to the bench.

Eve tilted her head in confusion. "And who might this _certain someone _be?" she moved to the side, giving Emily room to sit down.

"As if you didn't know, or perhaps you forgot that you invited him?" Emily raised an eyebrow as she handed Eve her lunch bag. Eve continued to look at her confused. Emily's shoulders slumped. "Oh honestly Ib, your memory seems to always fail you at the worst of times. Come on out Garret."

Eve blinked, _'Oh, right. First block with Garret…' _her memory returned as Garret swiftly moved from the shadows and took a seat at the bench opposite side of the garden. He sat proudly, staring at the two girls silently as they began eating.

After a few moments, Emily spoke, breaking the silence. "What? Cat got your tongue? You were quite the talkative one on our way here. More than I can usually stand." She appeared bored at the thought.

Garret simply shrugged, "Didn't want to interrupt your lunch. You know it's called being a gentleman." he leaned back in the bench. His cool façade was fooling no one.

Emily sighed in minor frustration while Eve appeared indifferent. "A gentleman you say? How humorous. I know you're just waiting on me to leave to you can chit-chat with Ib. I honestly have no idea what's going on between you two…but if you wanted to talk to her privately about who knows what Garret, all you had to do was say so." At this, Garret fell back, falling from the bench, and hit the ground with a dull thump. Eve coughed slightly, muffling a laugh.

"I-I believe you misunderstood me Emily. I just want-" Garret began as he reappeared over the side of the bench. Emily raised her hand to cut him off.

"Say no more, seeing how you react considering the fact that I didn't suggest anything is proof enough." she rose quickly, seeming quite annoyed, "I'll see you in class Ib. Good Luck with….this one." Emily said, before turning and disappearing into the shadows.

~~~o~~~

"Quite the friend you have there Ib." Garret said, brushing his bang back. After Emily left, Garret had moved to join Eve at her bench.

"Why thank you, I'm sure you meant that as a compliment. If not…I'm leaving. I won't have you insulting my close friends." She gave a small smile.

"Of course! I would never mean that in a bad way. I honestly think she has an interesting character." Garret tried explaining. He had become slightly flustered, and began pouting.

Eve gave a small laugh, "I was kidding Garry. You should see your face right now, you look like a small child." She poked his cheek.

Garret's mouth turned into a smile at Eve's comment. "I guess I can take that as a compliment. And I'm happy to hear you calling me Garry again."

Eve shrugged, "You already know I prefer this personality over the other." Eve sighed, "You know, your multiple personality disorders is quite annoying sometimes. Why don't you just choose one and be done with it? I would strongly suggest Garry." She sipped her juice, her smile gone.

Garret looked at his hands quietly, fidgeting with a button on his uniform, "It's not as easy as you think." He mumbled, his smile had also disappeared.

Eve paused to look at him. "Not as easy as I think? Please do explain."

He shook his head. "I…would rather not discuss that area of my life. Also, I can't really say anything without it sounding awkward. And we both know we would rather do without that happening at this moment."

"Fair enough, but I still need some type of explanation." Eve sighed.

Garret sat silently, looking off into the distance, carefully considering his choice of words and the best way to string them together. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, I'm just not sure. We've only recently met, and I telling you my 'life-story', so to speak, would be…strange. I believe there will be a chance I'll tell you one day, but as for now, I just…can't." He looked towards Eve with an apologetic smile, hesitant about her reaction.

She was looking at him, the slightest hints of concern shown in her face. She nodded, "It seems like it'll be quite the story. That is, if you ever tell me. If you're not comfortable telling me, I won't try to force anything out. I'm sure that when you deem the time right, you'll tell me on your own. That and…" she paused.

"What?" Garret asked. Eve motioned him to come closer.

"We have…little birdies nearby," she pulled away. Garret looked around, but saw no one. Eve then pointed in a behind them. He strained his vision and saw the edges of a skirt and the top of a head. "Don't stare too long you idiot, you can't let them know you see them!" Garret turned back around as Eve scooted closer to him so she would have to speak loudly, and the girls wouldn't overhear their conversation.

"How…did they find us?" Garret whispered, baffled at the thought.

"Us? I believe you mean, 'How did they find me?' I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe they put a tracking device on you." Eve began picking up her trash.

"T-tracking device?" Garret's voice went up an octave and Eve had to suppress her amusement. "How long have they been there?" he asked.

"They came shortly after Emily left. And it doesn't take a tracking device to find you. When she left the woods, they probably put two and two together and retraced her steps." Eve explained.

"Girls…sure can be scary." Garret mumbled.

"Oh yes, especially with something they want as their own personal belonging." She commented as she stood up.

"Own personal belonging? Eve that sounds a bit…perverted." he shivered.

Eve laughed again. "See it how you like, but I certainly wasn't suggesting it that way."

Garret shrugged as a smile appeared on his face once again. "Wow Ib, I've don't think I've seen you laugh this much."

Eve blushed, "W-well, you know, when the moment is right-I mean I can't just ignore the fact that-just…never mind." Eve face palmed herself mentally, Garret chuckled. Eve ignored it and began making her leave.

"Ib? Where are you going?" Garret looked at her confused.

"The bell signaling the end of lunch is about to ring." She added calmly, returning to normal volume. As if on cue, the distant sound of bell rang through the trees.

"Impressive, great eye sight and timing. Tell me, how did you do that without checking the time?" Garret asked.

"You could say I've been here too long. Here," she threw him a small package. Garret caught it and looked down to see it was a granola bar. "I don't think you've eaten lunch yet. And considering Emily 'found' you and brought you here, I'd say you were initially lost?" Garret turned away, embarrassed. "I thought so, how about after school one day, I show you how to get here? I can't really do so during school, thanks to your fan club."

"That would be helpful, thanks. And…Fan club?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Eve rolled her eyes, "As if you didn't notice, 95% of the girls are practically drooling over you _new student_. And thanks to your little greeting this morning, I'm afraid they might have put me on the hit-list."

Garret's playboy smile returned once more, "Forgive me Ib, I'll try to tone it down." He winked. Eve could already feel the pins on her back once more.

"Don't do that, they practically stab me with their eyes." She gently pushed his shoulder jokingly, her small smile returning.

Garret nodded and grinned back. He then stood, and stared down at Eve playfully. _'I had forgotten how tall he was…' _Eve thought.

Garret extended his arm, "Shall we take our leave Ib?"

Eve was about to reach for it when she felt the pins turn into knives. "I don't think I should…" she motioned back towards the seemingly 'hidden' group of girls.

"Right, let's just go then." Garret dropped his arm, and instead motioned for Eve to lead the way. She scoffed and began walking off, with Garret following close behind.

* * *

**A good conversation between Ib and Garry. Just a few hints dropped on what'll be discussed in the future. May the two chapters keep you satisfied until next Saturday my lovely readers(probably won't, I understand how it is waiting on the next chapter lol). Until then, and have a smiley face :}**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry guys. It always seems something has to come up when I want to post. This weekend my computer was acting strange and wouldn't let me log in, no matter how many times I tried. Regardless, the good news is that I'm finally able to post. And just to tell you, we're finally starting to pick up. Nothing _too _heart clenching, but it'll be there by next week. :) Thank you guys for all the reviews, favorites, followers, and views(it's nearly at 1500! I may do something special for when it reaches that number, not telling though ;3). It makes me feel awesome to know Ib has so much love haha. ********I don't own Ib, everything Ib related belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Now without further ado, I present, Chapter 10! **

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 10

The next two days were simple enough. True to his word, Garret kept his distance. Their interaction wasn't cut, Garret refused to do so. Instead, it was limited. He would greet her in the halls with a wink or bright smile, or quickly chat with her when he could. Nothing too attention grabbing. They had agreed that Eve would show him around the school grounds after school Friday. Since mostly everyone left as soon as school was out, they wouldn't really have to worry about being spied on or followed.

As for Iris'_ interview_, Eve was thankful it had been put on hold. Iris had been assigned a major paper, and any free time she had, she spent on perfecting it. But Eve knew it would only last so long. As soon as she would finish it, Iris would have her cornered, and she would be forced to spill everything. Not that she minded as much now.

~~~o~~~

Eve took her usual seat in class Wednesday morning. Her usual rushing thoughts kept her oblivious to the buzz around her.

"Did anyone see our newest student?"

"Another student already?"

"Yes, I saw her! She's really cute."

"She seemed really shy."

"Did anyone catch her name?"

"Yeah, I heard her name was _Mary_."

At the mention of the name, Eve's thought process was completely halted and turned to focus on Mary. _'Mary? What…That's right; she told me she was starting today…' _Eve mentally scolded herself for forgetting _'What are the odds though that both of them would have this class with me...'_

"Another student you've previously met Ib?" Eve heard Emily say. Her friend let out a small chuckle.

"You could say that. How did you guess?" Eve gave a small smile.

Emily shrugged. "You don't give me enough credit Ib. I've known you for too long to not be able to read you."

Before Eve could reply, a shrill cry was heard from the door. "IB! I was looking everywhere for you! I'm finally here!" Eve only saw a flash of blonde before she was pulled into a bone crushing hug.

"M-Mary…it's so…nice to see you. Could you please…allow me to breathe?" Eve said between shallow breaths. Mary quickly released Eve and blushed.

"I'm sorry Ib, I'm just real excited to see you!" Mary gave a big smile.

"You wouldn't be the first one." Emily murmured focused on her present reading material. Eve gave her a slight shove. She looked back towards Mary, who seemingly hadn't heard the comment, but had turned her attention to her friend.

Mary's smile grew bigger as she talked to Emily. "Oh, Hello! Are you one of Ib's friends?"

Emily's eyes grew wide. She nervously shifted in her seat and returned a distressing smile, "Uh, y-yeah. I'm friends with Ib. My name is Emily Taylor, nice to me-."

Mary gave her a quick hug, cutting her off. Emily seemed highly uncomfortable. "Hello Emily! My name is Mary Blaine. It's such a pleasure meet one of Ib's friends!"

"Yes…it is. Um, Mary, have we perhaps, met before? Forgive me but you seem real familiar." Emily stated.

Mary kept her smile plastered to her face and gave her a playful stare, "No, I don't believe we have. I recently moved to this town. And I think I would remember that beautiful fiery red hair of yours. It doesn't seem like something that's easy to forget. It's natural, isn't it?"

Emily twitched. "Y-yes, it is. And, I-I guess you're right."

Mary turned her attention back towards Eve, "Do you have any other friends? I would absolutely love to meet them!"

"Well, not exactly. I have a few acquaintances…but I mostly like to keep to myself." Eve said, slightly embarrassed. Mary nodded.

"I understand Ib. We'll just have to change that. We'll make you the most popular person in the school! How about it?" Mary winked.

"W-what? I-I don't think I-I mean, d-do we really? Is it n-necessary?" Eve stuttered.

Mary gave a small laugh, "I'm just kidding Ib. Say, does anyone sit in the desk next to you?"

"Um, no. Feel free to take it I guess. We do have assigned seats though…so I would check with Ms. Abbott first. Just in case."

Mary nodded. "Fair enough, I'll be right back" She turned on her heel and walked towards Ms. Abbott's desk.

"Interesting friend you got there. Almost…too bubbly" Emily noted.

"You learn to like the bubbliness." Eve smiled. Emily snickered in response. She still seemed uncomfortable about something, but Eve dismissed it. The two went back to starting work for the daily lesson, barely noticing when Mary returned to take her seat next to Eve.

Just as the late bell went off, Garret strolled in, making his way straight to Eve and Mary. "Why, Good Morning dearies." He grabbed Eve's hand, and shook it mirthfully.

"Good Morning Garret." Eve said nonchalantly. Garret pouted and gently released her hand.

"Yeah, Good Morning Prince Charming Reject." Emily mumbled. Garret gave her an annoyed look. Emily jokingly stuck out her tongue.

Just as he was about to react, "Oh, if it isn't the wonderful Garry! I didn't know this was the school you would be attending. And it seems that we've both become acquainted with Eve. What luck!" Mary's face was bright, but her tone said otherwise.

Garret turned his attention towards her, his eyes growing wide for the slightest second. "Why, hello Mary. What a…pleasure it is to see you. I didn't know you were to attended Guertena Academy as well." His playboy facade had surfaced, but his tone had hinted nervousness.

"Do…you both happen to know each other?" Eve asked.

"Yes, actually we do. Believe it or not, we're kind of childhood friends." Garret said, almost reluctantly.

"Indeed we are. We've known each other about 8 years…right Garry?" Mary fluttered her eyelashes.

Garret gulped, a nervous chuckle escaped his lips. "Y-yeah. Just about."

"I'm just playing with you Garbear. We both know that's a road we'll never travel down together." Mary gave a sweet laugh.

'_Garbear?_ _Is…she suggesting something?' _Eve began feeling uncomfortable. She felt her face grow hot, and badly wanted their conversation to end. Eve was quite surprised with this new emotion and wasn't sure how to catalogue this feeling manifesting inside her.

As if sensing her friend's inner turmoil, Emily intervened. "Real interesting you two. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could you sit down Garret? You're not invisible you know." She kept her tone mono.

Instead of being annoyed, Garret seemed relieved at Emily's intervention. He nodded and made his way to take his usual seat in the class just as the morning announcements came on over the intercom.

~~~o~~~

Ms. Abbott had assigned the class to write a quick one-page essay on the meaning or message they thought of with the specific Guertena piece assigned to them. An individual assignment; Eve couldn't feel more relieved. All feelings of unease had disappeared completely. She turned the pages in her book to her appointed work, 'Fabricated World'. Once there, she began to read the information on the piece.

'_A visual array of vibrant and dark colors beautifully combined. It depicts a specious and mysterious world. It's not certain when it was painted, but it is known to be one of Guertena's earlier works. _

_Upon close inspection, three major pigments are found in the piece. They are: red, blue, and yellow. Many viewers note feeling uneasy when viewing the piece, and prefer not to be alone when around it…'_

'_Interesting…' _Eve thought. When she was about to continue reading, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Mary handing her a folded sheet of paper. Eve took it hesitantly. Mary gave her a reassuring smile.

When she turned back around, Eve glanced up towards Ms. Abbott's desk to see if she had seen anything. She seemed too preoccupied with the work on her laptop, and Eve gave a sigh of relief. She cautiously opened the folded note, and read its contents.

'_I saw that my conversation with Garry made you feel slightly…uncomfortable. Forgive me Ib, I didn't know it was like that between you two.'_

Eve felt her cheeks grow hot. She quickly scribbled a reply,

'_No! It's not like that at all. I was just surprised by the fact that you two had known each other for so long.'_

She discreetly placed it on the corner of Mary's desk. A few seconds later, the note was passed back.

'_Oh, I see. Sorry for jumping to conclusions. But for what it's worth, there really is nothing between us. Again, I'm sorry'_

Right below the sentence, Mary had drawn a small character with a flower in its outstretched hand. It appeared to be a doll of some kind. Eve smiled, she found it cute...and a bit disturbing.

'_It's okay Mary, nothing to worry about. Cute drawing by the way, but I think it needs a friend.'_

Beside the doll, she drew a small fluffy rabbit, then handed the note back. She was kind of enjoying the experience of passing notes with a new friend. When she received it again, she felt as if she couldn't open it quickly enough.

'_Yours is too adorable! It's better than mines. And I'm glad there's nothing wrong. Sorry if I sounded strange, it's just, you're my friend Ib, and I care about my friends a lot…_

_p.s. Don't pass the note back; I believe I saw Ms. Abbott giving us strange looks. We can talk during lunch or after school. : )'_

Eve folded the note up once more and tucked it into her backpack. She then saw Emily handing her another note. Eve glanced back towards Ms. Abbtot, and seeing that it was safe, she took the note from Emily. She looked at it and saw her friend had hastily written,

_'Don't let ANYONE see this. Please, it's very important.' _

Eve positioned her body to where she was sure no one could read over her shoulder or glance at it. She unfolded the note and read it.

'_I normally don't do this, but I need to talk to you. It's real urgent. I don't trust talking about this at school, so do you mind if I come to your house after school to discuss it? I'd feel more comfortable there. Sorry if this is vague, but I promise I'll explain everything later. I just need someone else's opinion on this…'_

Eve was baffled by the note. Nonetheless, she turned her head and gave Emily a nod. She tucked that note into her bag as well. Her easiness was now replaced with worry. What did Emily want to discuss? Was it something that serious?

The rest of the class period was silent. But Eve's thoughts were a whirling tornado, showing no signs of unrest.

* * *

**Dun dun duun. Mary and Garry have a past together? Why is Emily so uneasy around Mary? Could she be hiding something malicious behind that sweet smile of hers? What does Emily want to discuss so urgently? o.o We'll have to see. Hopefully everything works out this Saturday. ^_^'...Well, see you guys next week. Don't forget your smiley face \( ・∀・)/ Only two more weeks of school! **


	11. Chapter 11

**It's Saturday! At least, it is where I am. :) I'm real happy to hear people are enjoying my story. A big shocker (probably not XD) in this chapter. Let me warn you, things are about to completely spiral out of control. Sweet will become sour. Good will become bad. For my readers, strap yourselves down and prepare for it. :D I think I'll be changing the rating soon. But onto other news, thanks you guys so much for the follows, favorites, views (you guys are so close!), and reviews. ********I don't own Ib, everything Ib related belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**And now, the story,**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 11

Emily twiddled her fingers on the ride to Eve's home, as Eve stared out the car window. Iris had gone to pick up the girls and Oliver from school. The car was cloaked in silence the moment the girls stepped it, even Oliver had kept quiet. Iris had immediately sensed the uneasiness, and after some time, decided to try lightening the mood.

"So, anything interesting happen at school today?" Iris eyed them from the driver's seat mirror. Oliver was seated between them, and looked happy to see that someone was trying to break the sullenness.

"Nothing much, we got another new student." Eve said monotone.

"Oh really, two in less than a week? That's pretty cool I guess." Silence once again returned amongst them.

Iris tried once more to get rid of the heavy atmosphere. "So, Emily, why are you visiting today? Is there a project you two have or what?"

"No, nothing like that, there's just some things I have to discuss with Ib." Emily said, she continued to meddle with her fingers.

"Can I ask what you're going to discuss?"

"Nothing you should worry about." Eve replied this time, never breaking her gaze from the window.

"Alright, I see." Iris said as she turned into the driveway. "We're here. If you girls want a snack or anything, don't hesitate to ask. Oliver, honey, let's work on your school work."

"Yes ma'am." They all answered before exiting the car.

~~~o~~~

"But why can't I stay?" Oliver whined. The girls had gone straight to Eve's room for their conversation, Oliver following them the entire way. They had asked him to leave, and he had jumped on his sister's bed in retaliation.

"Oliver, I already told you, this is as serious conversation you can't be a part of. It's just between Emily and I." Eve tried to pull him off her bed.

"Is it a grown-up conversation? Because I'm a big boy now, I can handle it."

"Oliver please? I'd rather not have anyone else around. When we're done, I promise we'll go downstairs and play with you. That is what you want, right?" Emily said.

Oliver nodded. "Promise?"

"Yes, I promise. In fact, why don't we go out and get ice-cream later on?" Emily offered.

His eyes lit up with excitement. The main door downstairs could be heard opening as Iris stepped in from outside. "Yes! Okay Emily, I'll leave. But, hurry okay?" Oliver ran out of the room before Iris could come up and scold him for bothering the girls.

Eve sighed, closing the door behind him. "Sorry about him. But, you know how he can be sometimes."

Emily gave a small laugh. "It's okay, I kind of enjoy his company. And I understand he just wants to see his big sister."

Eve rolled her eyes. "So, what's wrong Emily?" she asked.

Emily sighed. "You always have been a straight-forward person. Well, Ib, remember how when you first met me I would always get those small panic attacks? And when you asked me to tell you why I got them, I would simply say I didn't want to talk about it?"

Eve nodded remembering. She remembered Emily would always leave school shortly afterwards and wouldn't return for days. Luckily, they had began become less frequent as time passed. She wasn't exactly sure what triggered them, since Emily never wanted to discuss it.

"Well, I think it's time I tell you." Emily lowered her head as if trying to retain her composure. "You see, one summer, when I was very little, about 4 or 5, I was…kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Eve's eyes widened.

Emily gave an ironic chuckle. "Heh, yeah. I don't quite remember how it happened, just that it did and I remember…certain things that went on in there." Her breaths became shaky.

"Emily, are you sure you can continue?" Eve was worried about her friend. She didn't want her pushing herself to talk about things that would cause her metal harm.

"N-no, I can do this. I-I don't remember much of what I saw in the beginning mostly things I would hear, heck, I don't even remember the face of my kidnapper. I think part of me took those memories, shoved them into a box, and locked it and disposed of it however it thought was best. _Mental Suppression_ my therapist called it."

Eve rubbed her friend's back in an effort to sooth her. "Well, what do you remember?"

"I remember hearing screams and moans. I never asked about them, I was too scared. I remember the overwhelming smell of paint and crayons. But most of all, I remember _her_. And the days we spent together."

"Her? Together?"

"Yes, you see, in the house I was taken to, the kidnapper had a daughter, at least, I think she was his daughter. She was around my age. She as the typical long blonde hair and blue eyes and had a sweet, light laughter. I remember being in her room which always smelled strongly of crayons. It was very unsettling. There were mannequin heads, headless statues, and it had these…these dolls. Scary things, their skin was tight and a shade of sickly blue, their hair consisted of rough, black yarn, and their eyes…the color of blood. " Emily paused.

Eve opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it. Her friend took this as a cue to continue her story. "We spent all our time inside. Days blurred together. She would dress me up in frilly dresses, play with my hair, have tea parties, and tell me we were best friends. I was like her _doll_. I was okay with it at first. I mean, I was only a little girl, I didn't know what was going on. But soon, the sounds and constant games got to me. I asked her one day when I would go home and see my family. She laughed it off and told me I was being silly, that I was home and _they_ were my family. Her and her freakish toys. I told her I was serious, that I missed my mom and I wanted to leave. And then…she got angry, real angry. She began throwing stuff around, breaking everything; her eyes were filled with pure rage. She left the room shortly after, and didn't come back for days. I was left all alone and the only time I saw anyone was when they came to leave me food once a day. Not that I ate much. I was terrified and depressed. I thought I would never get back home, never see my family, I thought I would _die_ there. Then…"

"Then…?" Eve asked.

Emily seemed more calm and collected at this point. "They just let me go…I remember the door opening and the small girl coming through the door with an older woman. She told me she wanted to dress me up again one more time. At that point, I was too much of an empty shell to care what she did. They bathed me, dressed me, curled my hair, applied makeup, and then took me outside to a car. I remember it was night time, it was so dark. They put me in the back compartment of a large truck. It was inky and smelled rustic, and I felt the little girl reach out and take my hand. She held the entire way; she was real sad and I could even hear her cry at times. Before I knew it, the car stopped and they opened the back door to take me out. I didn't recognize the neighborhood, and it was so late. There were no cars on the streets, no breeze, sounds or anything; the entire world seemed to be paused. Well, they took me to the front door of a house; the little girl hugged me and said she hoped we would see each other again one day. They rang the doorbell then drove off. The door opened and there was my mom. Turns out she had moved in with my aunt a month after I went missing, she said staying in the old house made her depressed. God Ib, you should have seen her face. She was so relieved and grief-stricken, we both cried the rest of the night as she held me."

"Wow, Emily, I…I don't know what to say,"

Emily turned towards her friend. "You don't have to say anything Ib, but, you know what the most twisted thing is?"

"What…" Eve wasn't sure she wanted to hear what was to come next.

"The name of the little girl who would always play with me? I remember it,"

"W-what was it?" Her stomach was churning.

"Mary, Ib…her name was _Mary_."

* * *

**What? Could it possibly be the same Mary? Why did they let her go? And sorry if it's a bit vague and if it feels a bit rushed, but you'll read about her entire experience later when her memory box o-...later and It'll go at a good pace. Until next week my dear readers. Smiley Face =(^ω^)=, Last week of school! **


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm finally feeling better. Thank Glob. You can guess why there was no update last week. I've been sick for the longest, and I'm finally feeling better (still getting terrible headaches though ;_;). I'm sorry if the last chapter was a bit confusing, I'll go back and try to fix that. But for now, let's just move on. This chapter is a bit slow (and short), but it's only natural haha. I'll try to put up the next chapter soon. ************I don't own Ib, everything Ib related belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

**Now to the story,**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 12

The room became silent. Emily held her breath awaiting her friend's reaction. What would she say? What does she think?Does she even believe her? Her mind became plagued with questions. And every second that passed, only made the tension and uneasiness grow.

After what seemed like forever, Eve made a small noise, causing Emily to jump. "W-what was that Ib?" she asked hesitantly.

Eve slowly turned towards her friend, giggling slightly. Emily turned red with disbelief and anger. What was she laughing at? Nothing she had said was the slightest bit amusing.

"Why the heck are you laughing? I don't remember saying anything _funny_. Or was my traumatic event somehow amusing to you?" Emily snapped.

"No, not that…the fact of the matter is, all this tension," Eve waved her hands as if the tension was something she could reach out and touch. " It's making me real nervous. It's natural human instinct to want to break it, or 'lighten the moon' so to speak." Eve replied.

"And your 'human instinct' is to start laughing?" Emily still felt upset.

"Wish I could do better, but this is the first thing that came to me," Eve gave an apologetic smile.

Emily suddenly felt embarrassed for snapping at her friend. "I-I see. It's just strange that out of everything you could have done, your body decides to laugh."

Eve shrugged. "Just my human instincts at work I guess. Now about that…event,"

"Go on..." Emily leaned in closer to hear what Eve was going to say.

"Well, I don't exactly have anything I can say."

Emily furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Is it that you don't know what to say?"

"More like I don't know how to respond...tell me, how does one respond to such a confession?"

"W-what? Don't turn this onto me. It's _your _response."

Eve gave her an unsure look. "Just...hypothetically speaking."

Emily sighed. "Well," she began to think about the situation. "I guess if I were in your shoes, my thoughts on _Mary_ would be whirling. I wouldn't believe it at first but then I would be thinking, 'There's always that chance...' How was that?"

Another small laugh escaped Eve's lips. "You hit the nail right on the head. I just wasn't sure you would be satisfied with such an answer. But then again, what makes you so sure this Mary could be the same as the one from your childhood?" she inquired.

Emily opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. She remained silent, racking her brain mercilessly, intent on giving Eve a proper explanation. Nothing came.

Eve huffed. "No answer? But you got my hypothetical one perfectly." She looked at her friend slightly suspicious. "Wait a minute...Emily, don't tell me you suspect her simply because she shares a similar traits with the girl. That's not a good reason to go on complete self-lock-down an entire day. Honestly, do you know how many girls there could be who are blonde-haired, blue-eyed and have the name Mary?" She was practically scowling her friend.

Emily looked towards her dejectedly. "I know Ib, and I promise you it's not just that. I'm sure there's plenty trait-similar Mary's. It's just…I don't know, they give off the same aura. That sweet and bubbliness on the outside, but twisted and selfish thoughts on the inside."

"Well, Mary's shown no signs of having a twisted side. And another thing, I've met her parents. They're not anything like the people you described, assuming they were the little girl's parents. That, and my mom's known them for a long time. According to her, they're a good family." Eve said.

"But, didn't you recently meet them and Mary?" Emily asked.

"Yes. But my mother's known her parents for a long time, but it was a distant friendship. They practically lived across the country from us. They only just moved here. If you still have doubts, I could possibly take you to meet them." Eve explained.

"I see. And I'd rather not. What would I say? 'Yes, Hello. I'm here to see if you look like the parents of these people who kidnapped me when I was little, since your daughter looks a lot like the little girl they had.' Yeah, no thanks." Emily snickered.

Eve laughed. "We could just make up a reason. Just say you're a new friend of Mary's and you wanted to meet them. Mention me and the should automatically like you."

"It's fine" Emily then grew silent. "I guess telling you about that event was kind of good for nothing…" she began to trail off.

Eve patted her friend's back amiably. "No Emily, where did you get that from? I'm happy you shared it with me. You don't know how many hours I spent worrying and wondering about it. Now it's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." She smiled.

Emily laughed and gave her a playful shove. "Stop making it seem like I miraculously changed your life."

Eve shrugged. "Maybe you did." Emily gave her a strange look before they both burst out laughing.

"I'm guessing the seemingly Life-or-Death chat is finished?" the girls froze and turned to see Iris standing in the doorway. "Don't worry, I didn't eavesdrop or anything. I came up here when I heard you two laughing. Everything good now?"

The girls nodded. "Yes Iris, we're through." Eve said as they stood up and moved towards the door.

"Wonderful, because you don't know how hard it's been to keep this nymph from coming up to pester you both." she shook her head with a smile.

"Nymph?" they both asked cocking their heads to the side.

Iris pointed down the hall. Both girls stepped outside the room to see Oliver sitting on top of the stairs. When he saw them exit Eve's room, he stood excitedly.

"Are you done? Can we go get ice cream now? I've been waiting like you told me." Oliver seemed hesitant about their answer.

"Yes Oliver, I'm done talking to your sister. We can go get ice cream now." Emily answered. The girls laughed once again.

As they were about to head down, Iris moved closer to Eve and whispered in her ear. "I didn't hear anything, but it seemed serious. Are you both okay with brushing it off so easily?"

Eve shivered slightly, "It's fine Iris. Thanks for your concern. "She answered emotionless. Eve was trying to make it seem like it wasn't anything to worry about. But the entire time, she sensed an uneasy omen. She could only hope she was the only one who felt it.

* * *

**Consider the tension lifted and then dropped again. :D And I never get tired of writing with Oliver :3. Glad to hear you guys liking it. See you in a bit (hopefully, if not, I'll try to upload it tomorrow) Smileyface**


	13. Chapter 13

**Whoa...already over 2000 views. You guys are just too awesome. I don't think I can thank you enough. Here's the next chapter I mentioned. Just take it and enjoy it while I go try to find a way to thank you all. ****************I don't own Ib, everything Ib related belongs to Kouri. I only own my OC's.**

******************More Oliver, yes. :D**

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_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 13

The rest of the week was completely strenuous for Eve. No matter how hard she tried to act normal around Mary, she just couldn't shake off the story. A simple smile or giggle would trigger thoughts and cause Eve to become a nervous wreck. Emily on the other hand, was able to successfully pull off acting 'normal'.

Eve knew that to everyone else she seemed to be acting…different. Thankfully, Mary had played it off as Eve being shy and silly. She hoped everyone else believed Mary's explanation, so far only Emily knew the reason behind Eve's unsettled character.

~~~o~~~

The next few days following the chat blurred together for Eve. Before she knew it, Friday had come. It was the day she and Garret had agreed to meet and she would properly show him around the school.

When the bell signaling the end of the day rang, Eve couldn't have been happier. She really needed the weekend to wind down and pull herself back together. Even better, her parents would be returning Saturday. Eve hurriedly picked up her belongings and waved goodbye to her classmates and friends.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, Eve was pulled back. She turned to see Mary's sweet, smiling face. Her stomach flipped.

"What's the hurry Ib? I was actually hoping you and me could go somewhere today after school together." Mary smiled.

"Oh, that sounds real fun, but I'm sorry Mary, I can't." Eve replied nervously. She tried to get out of Mary's grasp.

"We could take Emily too if you'd like. And the place I want to go to is real close by. It's a café, they have the best cakes and ice cream. You'd love it." Her lips turned into a slight pout and her grasp tightened.

"I really can't. But perhaps you could still go with Emily." Eve suggested timidly.

"It wouldn't be as fun without you. Do you…not want to hang out with me? Did I do something wrong to make you not like me? You've been acting strange all week." Her pout became a frown.

"No Mary! I like you. And you didn't do anything wrong, I just have plans with someone already. And I've just been feeling...sad since my parents are out of town." She explained.

"O-oh…I see." Mary nodded in understanding, but still emanated waves of sadness.

Eve felt bad. "But…how about Sunday? I should have the entire day free, and I think Emily will too. Do you want to do something together then?"

Mary's face immediately lit up. "Oh yes! We could go to the café that day! Um, how about I come pick you up around two? Then we can go and get Emily. That is...if she's free."

"Sure, that works."

"Okay. This is wonderful. I'm going to be the first to take you both to the café! Oh! And we could go shopping! Oooo! It's going to be so fun!"

"I'm sure it will, but now please Mary, I really have to go." She pleaded, Mary had unconsciously tightened her grip.

"Oh…yeah, sorry Ib." Mary let her go, her face was pink with embarrassment.

"It's fine. Goodbye Mary," Eve said as she rushed off.

"Bye Ib! See you Sunday!" she called after her.

~~~o~~~

Once outside, Eve ran as fast as she possibly could to the secret garden. She didn't quite understand why she was running, but she didn't care. She had suddenly been filled with an unknown excitement. '_I wonder where this came from, I didn't feel any different thinking about it earlier today…' _She dismissed the feeling and continued on her way.

As expected, Garret was there waiting on her. He was seated under the willow tree reading a book. Eve snickered to herself in her head. The scene was nostalgic. It was the same way she had found Emily all those years ago when they had first met.

'Took you long enough." Garret said without looking up from the book.

"Quite the sweet one, aren't you? And forgive me sir, but I had something to take care of." She snorted as she put her bag down next to his on the bench.

"It's fine. Not like I've been here waiting on you the entire day for you." His tone remained unchanged.

Eve cocked her head. "All day? School's only been out for about 10 minutes."

At this Garret smiled. "I'm kidding Ib." he stood from his spot and lingered over to her. "Why the rugged breathes? Don't tell me you ran all the way here just for me." He moved in closer. "You're even sweating a little bit."

Eve blushed and moved away. 'D-don't do that. And don't flatter yourself either. I just rushed to get this over with. And regardless, you've been here an entire week, you probably know your way around the school well enough."

Garret blinked. "Is that so? Well to tell you the truth, I've been containing my curiosity just for you. And you're here now, so that's all that matters." He tried moving closer to Eve once more.

"Why do you enjoy intruding on my personal space so much? I'm tempted to get a sensor that goes off when you're within 10 inches of me." She eyed him up and down. "Make that 5."

Garret chuckled and quickly pulled her to him, causing her blush to deepened. "It would be going off all the time then." He whispered suggestively.

Before Eve could wiggle away, a voice came from the brush. "Are we...interrupting something?" Both of them turned to see a disapproving Emily holding Oliver by his hand. Oliver himself was red and had covered his eyes with his free hand.

"N-no. It's f-fine. W-what are you guys doing here anyways? " Eve stammered as she pushed Garret away.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, Iris called me. and told me you weren't answering your phone. She said couldn't come to get Oliver until real late. And she knows you were staying late for this," Emily waved her hand motioning them both "…date you have. So she asked if Oliver could tag along and go home with you."

Eve walked over to her bag and took out her phone. Sure enough, there were 5 missed calls and 3 text. "Well, I'm supposed to be riding home with you, since you're also staying for Library Duty. Can't he just stay with you? I think he'd be pretty bored with us."

"I wasn't done Ib. I have to leave, so I can't stay. And I can't watch him for you."_' And I highly doubt that' _Emily thought.

"Can you take him home for me?" Eve asked.

"She's not home. She's stuck at the campus I think. I'm not sure, I just remember she said something about a big project."

Eve sighed. "Then, I guess I'll have to leave now."

"What? But what about the tour?" Garret asked.

"I don't have a ride home. Well, _we_ don't have a ride home." Eve began to pick up her things.

"Maybe…I could give you guys a ride? I do drive to school on my own you know," he suggested.

Before Eve could respond, Emily handed Oliver to Garret. "Good then it's settled. I leave them in your hands, please take care of them. Don't do anything…Garret-like. Bye-bye now," She saluted them goodbye and ran off before anyone could protest.

Oliver ran from Garret to his sister's side and hid behind her. Eve sighed again. "Oliver, is that anyway to greet someone? And why are you so scared of Garret?...Actually that's fine. I would be uncomfortable as well."

"Um…" Garret interrupted. Both Eve and Oliver looked his direction as Garret lowered himself to Oliver's height. "Hello there. I don't think we've met before. Are you Ib's little brother by any chance? You sure look like it."

Oliver nodded slowly. Garret gave him a gentle smile. "Well it's nice to meet you. My name is Garret Mazarine, but you can call me Garry. And you don't have to be scared, I promise you I'm really not a bad person." Garret held out his hand.

Oliver looked at it and after some time, shook it. "It's...nice to meet you too." he replied with a shy smile.

Eve lifted her brow. "That's quite an introduction. And didn't I mention I had a younger brother before?"

Garret shook his head. "No, you never told me about him. He's very cute." He chuckled patting the boy's head, then stood strait. "Well, should we get started?"

Eve blinked. "Are you serious? I mean, you don't mind our tag-along?"

Garret gave her a strange face. "Is that what you consider him? I see him as another addition to our great adventure."

Oliver laughed. "Great adventure?"

"Yes, it's an adventure." Garret turned his attention to Eve once again. "See? I don't see why not."

"Well, alright then. Let's begin our little 'adventure'." Eve gave a weak smile as Garret outstretched his hand towards her brother. Oliver ran from her side and took it gleefully.

"Lead the way." Garret motioned for her to go.

'_Can't wait to see how this turns out…' _She thought as she took the lead.

* * *

**I wonder what's going to happen on their da-I mean as she shows him around the school :}. I had a lot of fun typing this (especially that IbxGarry moment ;D) and Garret and Oliver finally met! Oh boy this is going to be fun :3. In other news, I'll be leaving on a trip soon, so I won't be able to upload for a few weeks. And since I don't want to leave you with just this, expect the next chapter sometime this week. See you then, Smiley face \('w')/ Please continue to review, I love hearing your feedback, :D**

**EDIT: Sorry guys, I wasn't able to upload. I've been too busy...;_;. I promise to work on it as soon as I get back, until then, Take care! And thanks soooo much for the views and reviews! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm back. For now at least. I had enough time to write and post up this chapter before leaving again. It won't be as long as my last one though(only about a week). Really enjoyed typing this chapter, even if it's not exactly what I had in mind haha, regardless, **

**enjoy it :)**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 14

"And this is the school duck pond, our last stop. It's usually just used as a recreation area." Eve said tiredly. Just as she finished, two objects zoomed by her heading towards the dock, on the _other_ side of the pond.

"C'mon Garry! If we hurry, we can feed some of the ducks!" Oliver called. Eve sighed deeply. Following two energetic boys (one more than the other) around such a large campus was not an easy task. From the beginning, the two had become thrilled and insisted on running around to inspect the smallest things.

"_Over here! There's a rabbit hole."_

"_Did you see that colorful bird? Let's see if we can find it!"_

"_Hurry Ib! I want to see if we can find that chipmunk."_

"_Want to see all the coins in the fountain? There's coins from years ago!"_

_~~~o~~~_

Upon reaching the dock, Eve walked towards one of the closest benches she could find, and plopped down. She then pulled out her phone to check the time. 5:56. She had spent over an hour and a half showing (mostly following) the two around the campus. She turned her head towards the two. They were at the edge of the pond, Oliver pointing excitedly at something. They were perhaps inspecting the tadpoles. As if sensing her gaze, Garret turned. Upon seeing her, he smiled brightly and gave a small wave before Oliver took his attention once more.

She continued to watch them until she felt a small vibration in her hands. Emily had texted.

'**So how's it going? Anything romantic happen yet?' **

'**Oliver's been leading the group more than I have. And no, I don't exactly see Garret that way…'**

'**Sure you don't…and that seems fun'**

'**More tiring than fun…'**

'**Why don't you try joining them?'**

'**Don't want to interrupt'**

'**You should. After all, this was supposed to be your date'**

'**Definitely won't now…and it's not a date'**

'**C'mon Ib, you never know. He could be interested…'**

'**More like playful' **

'**Interesting, ttyl, break's over. Just try to have some fun. :)' **

Just as she finished reading the text, Eve felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Garret.

"Might if I take a seat? You're not the only one who's tired from constantly running around the entire campus."

"By all means." Eve moved over just as he took a seat. She looked around for Oliver and found him at the end of the dock watching the ducks and geese.

"Thanks. Quite an energetic sibling you've got there." Garret chuckled.

"You could say that."

He shook his head lightly. "So, if I may ask, who were you texting?"

"Emily." She replied simply.

"I thought she was busy?" Garret lifted an eyebrow.

Eve shrugged. "She was taking a break and decided to text me a bit. Hey, do you think we could leave now? It's getting pretty late."

Garret looked up towards the darkening sky. "I guess you're right." He paused. "Say Ib, are you hungry by chance? It's been quite some time since we've eaten lunch…"

At the mentioning of food, Eve's stomach began to grumble lightly. "I was fine until you mentioned food. It's fine though, I was going to eat at home anyways…"

"Now that won't do. How about I take you both to this special place I know? My treat." Garret suggested.

"Oh, no I cou-" Eve began to protest.

"Think of it as thanks for showing me around the school. And I promise you, we shan't take long."

"Ooo! Where is it? Can we go Ib? Please? I'm very hungry." Oliver had suddenly popped into the conversation.

'_Weren't you just at the end of the dock 10 seconds ago? How didn't I notice you coming?' _Eve thought. She looked at his pleading face and knew that an objection was futile at this point. "Okay, as long as it doesn't take too long."

Oliver's face practically glowed with happiness. "Thank you Ib!" he said as he hugged his big sister.

"It's settled then, let's head out." Garret offered his had to Eve. She nervously accepted it.

~~~o~~~

"It smells delicious!" Oliver said excitedly. Garret had brought them to a fairly remote café, the building was partially hidden by vines and tall trees. Eve was surprised she hadn't noticed it before.

"I thought you would say that. Wait until you try the treats." Garret said with a wink as a waitress walked over to them.

"Garret, is that you? Hi!" the waitress greeted Garret. Eve and Oliver blinked in surprise.

"Hello Angeline. How are you?" he replied.

"Same old. Are these you're friends? About time you brought someone with you. Is this who you're dating now? Hello there, I'm Angeline, Angie for short. I'm like a big sister to Garret. It's nice to meet you." Angie extended her hand. Eve politely shook it , as did Oliver. Angie was a busty woman, with medium-length brown hair, and eyes to match. She seemed to be at least 5 or 6 years their senior.

'_Why do people assume we're da-…wait, who he's dating __**now**__? Just how many girlfriends…has he had?'_ Eve turned towards Garret and looked at him suspiciously. She felt a bit jealous but didn't show it.

"N-no Angie, we're not together. I'm just treating them as a thank you." Garret replied, his voice hinting embarrassment.

"I see, well I'm guessing you'll want the usual table? Right this way." Angie motioned for them to follow her.

~~~o~~~

"Don't you have to reserve the tables up here?" Eve asked.

"Usually yes, but I don't really have to worry about that." Garret replied as he held out their seats, motioning for them to sit down.

"And, why is that?"

"Perhaps because my family owns the café?" he replied.

"They do?" Eve said surprised. Oliver and Garret both gave her bewildered looks. "Did, I say something?"

"You didn't read the signs? It clearly says Mazarine Candir Confectioneries." Garret explained slowly.

Eve's face grew red. "Oh…I-I had forgotten the Mazarine family was well known for their many confectionaries and café items."

Garret chuckled. "It's , haven't I mentioned it before?" Eve shook her head. "Well, you know now. And that's all that matters."

"Even I knew Ib." Oliver said.

"When?" she asked.

"While on the tour, Garry told me his last name. And I remembered the Mazarine Con-confacshionaries?" Oliver stated, trying to sound out the word confectionaries.

"Con-fec-tion-a-ries. Good try kiddo. He put two and two together. You should have seen how excited he was." Garret smiled.

"That makes me feel better…" Eve said, still embarrassed. How could she not have known that before? She certainly had to admit his name had ringed a bell.

Garret clapped his hands together. "Well, you have the menus, choose what you'd like."

Oliver's eyes immediately skimmed through the menu, his brain making a mental list of all he wanted to order. As if sensing his intentions, Eve whispered to her younger brother, "Don't order too much or anything too heavy. I don't want you spoiling your dinner." Oliver pouted before nodding in response.

~~~o~~~

"There we go anything else you'd like?" Angie asked.

"No Angie, we're good, thanks." Garret replied.

"Alrighty then, just call if you need anything okay?" she winked before walking off.

"Well, by all means," Garret motioned for them to begin eating.

Oliver immediately dug into his banana split (made with frozen yogurt, upon Eve's request). Eve hadn't wanted much and in the end had chosen to share a plate of macaroons with Garret (upon his request) with a side of chamomile tea. Eve cautiously reached for a peach-colored macaroon and took a small bite. _'Mango flavored…it's really good.' _Eve thought.

"I see you like the macaroons." Garret commented.

"They're delicious." Eve said light-heartedly.

"Good to hear. What about you Oliver?" Both turned towards the small boy.

Oliver swallowed the yogurt in his mouth before answering with a very satisfied "Very Much."

Garret turned back towards the plate of macaroons and began eating his portion, all while smiling.

"You're ecstatic." Eve noted.

"How can I not be when I'm at such a wonderful place with such a beautiful girl and her energetic younger brother?" Garret chuckled.

"Garry?" Oliver called. Garret turned towards the small boy, awaiting his next question.

"You like my sister don't you." Oliver stated frankly, a few giggles escaping his yogurt covered lips. Eve turned a bright shade of red while Garret simply blinked.

"O-Oliver!" Eve hissed. Garret turned to look at her, his face distant. He looked at her for a good while before turning back to Oliver.

"What do you think?" Garret asked. Eve's blush deepened.

"I think you do. Don't you?" Oliver replied, giggling once more.

Garret chuckled, "I'm not saying it's possible, but I'm not denying it either. It all depend on the other person."

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, intrigued.

Before answering, he turned and looked Eve in the eyes. "It all depends, on their feelings, and whether they'd accept me or not." The table became silent after that. The two continued to maintain eye contact. And no matter how embarrassed either seemed to be, they couldn't seem to look away.

After a few seconds, Garret looked away and began chuckling. "I'm just pulling your leg. Ib and I are strictly friends. Right Ib?"

"R-right..." Eve responded nervously.

Oliver began giggling again. "You're fun Garry."

Garret simply responded, "Thanks Oliver, I try." The mood was light once again, but Eve still felt uneasy. As if someone was maliciously glaring at them from afar. She cautiously turned her head around the area, but considering they were the only group up there, there wasn't much she would find.

"Ib? Are you okay?" Oliver's voice returned Eve's focus.

"Hm? Yes I'm fine, just...surveying the area. It's really beautiful up here." she replied, giving them a fake smile. She hoped the uneasiness was nothing more than leftover embarrassment from Garret's 'confession'. But then again...

* * *

***Suspense* Where is this uneasiness coming from? It's not described well, but I promise it'll make more sense in the next chapter. :) It's not exactly one of my best works, but I just had to give you wonderful people something. Now onto out new minor character,**

**Angeline Roberts (24): Assistant Manager at the Mazarine Candir Cafe. She's worked there a long time, and had gotten to know the family pretty well (hence she considers herself a big sister to the Mazarine kids). Minor character, she may pop up a few times here and there later on. Maybe**

**That's all for now. Thanks again guys for everything (your support means a lot!). And I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Until next week! Have a smileyface ****ﾟω****ﾟ**


	15. Chapter 15

**I've returned. I've finally been able to write this chapter. (So happy ;v;) Thanks for being so patient with me and I promise to try to upload as much as possible. (Which will be a bit difficult with four Advance Placement Classes...'^' ugh school) Regardless, let's continue this.**

**Here,**

* * *

_*SOUND EFFECTS*_

_'Thoughts/Writing'_

"Speech"

_~o~time change_

Chapter 15

"I'm soooo full!" Oliver said gleefully, as he ran towards the door. Eve and Garret giggled at his outburst.

"He's so hyper now. I told you not to get him that cake; he'll be jumping off the walls all night." Eve said a bit of an annoyed face, but she couldn't help but laugh again when he nearly fell over from jumping around so much.

"Sorry, but his face was just so pitiful." Garry chuckled again.

"It's fine. He'll hit a sugar low eventually." Eve replied.

"Ib! Open the dooooor!" Oliver said happily.

"Coming Oliver." Eve made her way to the door, Garret trailing behind her.

Once opened, Oliver made a mad dash inside yelling at the top of his lungs, "Iris! Let's playyy!"

Both teens laughed once again. Eve turned towards Garret, "Thanks for the confectionaries. It was really delicious. I owe you one."

"Oh no, it was my pleasure. And I told you, it was payment for the wonderful tour. Besides, it was a lot of fun." He chuckled again. Eve blushed a bit at the compliment.

"Y-yeah….well, I guess I'll be going inside now. Thanks again Garret, Good Night." She began turning to go inside, when she felt pressure on her wrist.

"W-wait Ib…I can't really let it end like this…" Garret commented, spinning her around.

"Wh-" Eve said confused as Garret planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. Awfully close to her lips. She froze, and felt her face grow hot.

Garret pulled away, traces of scarlet on his ivory face. "Forgive me, I just had to…you know, since this was almost like a, well, you know. Well then, goodbye Ib, see you Monday." He rambled and quickly made his way to his car, leaving her bewildered at the door.

~~~o~~~

'_I didn't realize how late it was already...' _Eve thought as she silently closed the text book she had been studying. She looked back towards the clock on the wall reading the time once again. 8:15. _'I have to help Oliver get ready for bed.' _

It was the end of an eventless Sunday night, with only Iris, Oliver, and herself in the large house. Her parents only stopped by Saturday to give a few hugs and kisses and switch out a few articles of clothing before leaving on yet another trip, this time to Australia to personally deliver new state of the art instruments to various overseas business partners.

Not that Sunday was better, Mary had, a bit rudely, cancelled any plans they had previously made. Her reasons were a bit unclear, since she had mostly mumbled her excuse. All Eve could make out was that she was disappointed and needed time to clear her head before she hung up. Regardless, Eve wasn't really in the mood to go anywhere that day. Instead, she closed herself in her room and studied the text books from various classes in order to put herself ahead.

Eve sighed as she stood and exited the room. Normally preparing Oliver for bed was Iris' job, but she was still busy with college work and had asked Eve earlier to do it for that night.

She slowly made her way down the curving staircase to Oliver's play room, located in the back wing of their large mansion. Eve sometimes regretted living in such a large house, but there was nothing much to be done about it. As she made it to the door of the play room, she suddenly felt something was off. She could quite place a finger on what it was, but it was there nonetheless. She quickly shook the feeling and slowly opened the door to the playroom only to find it dark and lonely.

Eve switched on the light and stepped inside. That was strange, all his toys were organized, and none of them seemed to have been played with. _'That's strange…well his ball is gone, perhaps he went to play outside?' _Just as Eve was about to go back, the playroom door slammed shut behind her, causing her to jump. She turned towards it a bit hesitantly, and exhaled a bit relieved. Making her way towards the door, she pulled off the note taped to it.

_Outside!_

Eve snorted at Oliver's childish penmanship. She left the room and exited the house through the glass doors behind the kitchen. There was still a good amount of daylight to see by, and Eve was thankful for it. She looked around, but to didn't see her brother anywhere. The uneasiness from before began to return as she walked the perimeter of their yard looking for her brother.

"Oliver!" she called, "It's time to come inside. Come on out so we can get you ready for bed." No answer. _'That's strange…where could he be? Did he go somewhere with someone? Maybe Iris knows where he is.' _Eve rushed back inside to find her nanny.

~~~o~~~

"Iris!" Eve practically screamed, causing her nanny to fall from her seat.

"Eve honestly, did you need to be so loud? You caused me to hit my arm against the desk." Iris growled cradling her throbbing arm. She turned towards the girl angrily, but it melted away the minute she saw Eve's worried face. "What's wrong Ib?"

"Do you by chance know where Oliver is?" Eve asked worriedly.

"Last I saw him; he told me he was going to go play outside. Why? Is something wrong?"

"He's not there, or in his playroom."

"Did you check his room?" Iris suggested.

Eve nodded. "Just came from there. It's empty. Iris what if he's g-gone…" she trailed off, she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Don't be so negative, sheesh. He's probably fallen asleep somewhere. Here, let me help you look for him." Iris offered as she stood. "Two heads are better than one after all."

~~~o~~~

After an hour and a half, both girls were seated across from each other in the living room. Each of them were on their phones calling Oliver's school friends, neighbors, and anyone else they could think of, asking if they had seen Oliver at some point.

"_Sorry, I haven't seen him."_

"_No he hasn't been around here."_

"_Oliver? No haven't seen him since Friday,"_

Each refusal seemed to make Eve's heart beat slower. _'Where could he be? Oliver where did you go?'_

"Thank you Mrs. Wilkes. Goodnight." Iris finished.

"No calls from the police either huh…" Eve said dejectedly.

"No, they said we had to wait at least 24 hours before they could send out a search party. Way to go law enforcement." Iris snorted, "Have any of your friends seen him?"

"Negative, but they said they'd be on the lookout."

Iris was silent for a moment before speaking again, "Were you able to contact your parents?"

"No, but I left them a message telling them that they needed to call us soon. And that it was really important."

Silence returned once again, both girls' mind's swirling trying to think of where Oliver could be.

"I'm sure he'll show up soon Ib, don't worry too much." Iris stood up. "Let me go make us some tea, we need something to calm us down." she gave a weak smile before leaving to the kitchen.

Eve sighed. She prayed someone would call her soon and give her information on Oliver's wearabouts. Af if answering her prayer, her phone began to ring. Eve quickly answered, not even bothering to check the caller id.

"Hello?"

"…Hello Ib,"

Eve hesitated, she didn't really recognize this voice. "Who is this?"

"Don't you know?"

"…Not really, I'm sorry." She replied nervously. The caller replied with a string of giggles.

"You sound so worried." Eve remained silent. "I'm sorry it came to this Ib, but you just made me so upset. I was supposed to be the friend you cared so much about. Me. But it seems Garret beat me to it." The person said his name with disgust.

"What are you talking about? Eve said confused.

"Did you really think I didn't see your little affectionate show at your doorstep?" they replied angrily. Eve felt a blush come begin to spread across her cheeks as she remembered the kiss.

"T-that was nothing. Just a friendly gest-" Eve began explaining,

"Save it. It was clear then who you would prefer. So I decided to replace you, with someone else close to you. But don't worry, we can still be friends."

"What are you saying…?" Eve clearly understood what the caller meant, but she didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to believe it.

"What lies." The person said cruelly. "You know exactly what I mean. No matter, just to assure you," Eve heard shuffling on other end of the line, and a slight click.

"I-Ib?" the voice sounded disoriented, but it managed to stop her heart cold.

"O-Oliver? Oliver where are you? Are you okay?"

"I…I don't really know. What's wrong Ib?" he asked, he seemed to be getting scared.

'_I better act nonchalant so he doesn't get scared.' _Eve took a deep breath. "No Oliver sweetie, everything's fine. You're going to be fine. I'm coming to pick you up soon so be a good boy okay?"

"O-okay Ib. I will. I have to go now Ib. Goodbye. I love you." He sounded hesitant now, but seemed to believe her. Before Eve could say anything else, she heard the click once again and the voice returned.

"How sweet, did you like that last part? I made sure he told you that, if I didn't what kind of friend would I be?"

"Who is this? Please give him back," Eve realized the tears that were flowing down her face.

"All in good time Ib, and you haven't figured it out? Didn't think you would with the voice modifier on. Here, let me shut it off…"

Eve held her breath when she heard the click, waiting to hear who the caller was.

"There we go. How's that Ib?" they said, giggling once again.

Eve froze, everything completely shut off, she couldn't believe it. Eve slowly opened her mouth to reply.

"Better..._Mary…_"

* * *

**No, not Oliver ;_;...feeling a bit evil, but that's life. I want to thank you guys for all the views, favorites, and so forth. I'll see you guys later then! Smiley face :D**


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